


Black Wings

by amsuter13



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-10 17:09:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 39,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8925370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsuter13/pseuds/amsuter13
Summary: So this chapter is 11 pages on a word doc and I hope that everyone likes it.





	1. Chapter 1

*Chapter 2*: Chapter 1: Birthday Surprises!

 

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.  
Warnings: slash/yaoi whichever you prefer. OCs, a bite of character OC too. Bad spelling and grammar, for this chapter anyway till someone wants to be my beta! It's an AU and may have some HBP spoilers.  
Outside, the night was still; no sound encroached on the silence of Privet Drive. The inky sky was sprinkled with stars while the street lamps glowed orange and cast long shadows.

Upstairs, in a lonely, run-down room, a boy sat, staring out the dirty window at the sickly-looking full moon. That in itself was odd since this was not the day for full moon. The boy, or more a teen, was Harry Potter. He was rather short at only 5'2, had messy jet black hair, brilliant emerald green eyes, and creamy skin. Harry was also skinny, way too skinny for a boy his age. But, he hid it well by wearing baggy clothes that were several sizes too big and had once belonged to his cousin, Dudley.

Harry was sitting up for one reason only. In three minutes time he would be sixteen years old. He cast a look at his alarm clock, which also once belonged to Dudley. It was now 11:58, two minutes…

He looked over at the empty bird cage that usually held his snowy owl, Hedwig. It was clean, but also empty. He sighed and felt a hot shiver run down his spine. He brushed it off as the clock turned to 11:59.

Just as he started to relax, his back flared with white hot pain and his whole body began to go numb. A bead of sweat fell from his brow and his shoulders itched. It was the strangest sensation he'd ever felt and then his eyes watered as a pain like being stabbed with a knife seared across his shoulder blades.

Harry sank to his knees on the floor, biting his lips to stop himslef from crying out. He soon tasted the tang of blood and spat it out as more blood dribbled down his chin. By the time the clock had turned to 12:00, Harry was in so much pain that his vision went blurry and he slumped forward.

As his vision faded to black, he wondered whether a Death Eater had attacked him. But, as the thought flittered through his mind, the pain stopped, his vision returned, and the stabbing, burning pain receded. Too weak to move properly, he fell the rest of the way to the floor and rolled over on his back.

"Happy Birthday, Harry." He muttered to himself as the clock flickered to 12:01.

Harry was awakened by something pecking at his shoulder. He waved an arm, but it only pecked again. Finally, he opened his eyes and tried to focus his blurry vision while searching for his missing glasses with both hands. He found them lying on the floor where he had dropped them earlier.

He sat up and looked around, wondering why he was lying on the floor when he had a perfectly good bed… Another sharp nip and he focused on what had actually woken him up. Hedwig was shifting from one foot to the other, impatiently waiting for her master to take the letter that was attached to her foot. Harry reached forward and took it, petting the owl as he did, and received an affectionate nip on the finger as his reward.

"What do you have girl?" Harry turned the letter over; the envelope was dark blue and written in white ink across the front was…

Harry. J. Potter

Harry blinked and turned the envelope over. It was sealed by a pair of wax wings. Harry slid his finger under the wax seal and loosened it. He wondered who it could be from; the letter he removed from the envelope was also dark blue with more white ink was written…

Harry. J. Potter,

You have inherited the membership of Lily. K. Evens Potter. Go to the back ally of Knockturn Alley where you will speak to the man in the grey cloak. Tell no one. Bring no one. This is your inheritance, if you want to know what it is, then come…

The note ended there. Harry blinked what inheritance? What was this person talking about? Who was the person? Was this a trick? Should he go? Harry looked at the owl that looked back up at him with jewel eyes.

"What do you think, Girl?"

Hedwig flapped her wings. Harry wasn't quite sure what that meant till he saw the package attached to her other foot. He reached over and untied the dark green package; another dark blue note written in white ink…

This was your mother's. We have made a few adjustments to fit you. Wear it when you come.

Again no signature.

Harry opened the package and a silky pile of material fell to the floor.

Harry bent over and picked it up. Shaking it out so that he could see it, he saw it was a beautiful silk cloak; dark blue with beautiful gold thread stitched into the material. Harry looked closely and saw it was writing that Harry had never seen before. Nevertheless, it was beautiful.

After staring at the front for several minutes, he turned it around to see the back and gasped. Stitched on the back was a pair of beautiful wings, they started at were the shoulder blades would be and stretched out to cover the entire back, the cloak was rather big as if to fit a real pair of wings. Harry felt the silky smooth material under his finger tips and ran his fingers over the golden wings. It was amazing.

Harry looked over at Hedwig again. "Anything else?"

The owl hooted gently before hopping over to her cage to sleep.

Harry looked out the window at the rising sun and made his decision. He left the window and went to his wardrobe where he dressed in his best fitting clothes; a black shirt and faded jeans with a thick black belt.

After dressing, he searched through his trunk and pulled out his bag which he stuffed some things he'd need into it along with the new dark blue cloak. He checked his appearance in the mirror before deciding he was ready to leave.

Once he was ready, he held out his arm and called for Hedwig. "Come on girl, we'll be gone for awhile." He slipped out of his room, down the stairs, and out the front door. Since it was still early and nobody on Privet Drive was up, he pulled out his wand and pointed it out at the road. There was a loud 'BANG' and a large triple decker bus appeared. The words Knight Bus were printed along the side. Harry kept his head down as the door opened.

"Welcome to the-"

Harry stuffed a galleon in his hand. "Knockturn Alley." Was uttered in a low voice.

Stan nodded, not recognizing Harry with his hoodie pulled up and his head down.

Harry sat toward the back and away from the other passengers with his head down. He settled one foot on the chair in front of him so that Hedwig could perch on his knee.

He spoke softly to his owl, "Don't worry girl, we'll be ok."

Reassured, Hedwig hooted softly before tucking her head under her wing. While the owl slept, Harry stared out the window. Hopefully the order wasn't watching him again. He frowned at the thought.

Before he could get too upset with that train of thought, the bus jerked to a halt. The resulting jolt roused Hedwig who screeched angrily.

"Knockturn Alley!" Stan called.

Harry slung his bag over his shoulder and exited behind a short man with a curly beard. The short man went right while Harry looked around. Even with Hedwig on his arm and his new cloak stashed in his bag, he suddenly didn't feel very confident…

-TBC-


	2. Chapter 2 Truth and Realizations

Chapter 2: Truth and Realizations.

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

 

* * *

 

Harry looked around the narrow alley but didn't see anyone. After making sure he was alone he set his bag down and using one hand, as his other still had a grip on Hedwig's cage, he pulled out his blue silk cloak and pulled it on and quickly arranged the hood to cover the crown of his head.

Harry looked around again and recognized a few buildings. The alley fed into Diagon Alley so he would have to go down the lane. He picked his bag back up and began making his way past filthy shops full of who knows what.

After taking a few sharp turns in his stroll, Harry stopped and checked once again to make sure no one was following him. When he turned back around to study the wall though, somebody was there.

A tall dark skinned man was standing in front of the wall. He was an arresting sight; his bald head seemed to draw attention to the fact that he had cold, piercing eyes, and along the side of his face was the same writing that decorated Harry's cloak. He was also wearing a cloak identical to Harry's.

The man spoke. "Name?"

Harry blinked. The man wasn't speaking English, but Harry understood him perfectly. It was a language rather like parseltongue.

"Harry Potter."

At the mention of his name the man nodded and stepped aside to reveal a black door. "She's been waiting; just keep walking till she finds you."

Harry nodded numbly and proceeded through the open door. The corridor was hung with black silk draperies that extended from ceiling to floor and was dimly lit by guttering candles. He didn't walk too far until he came to an entrance, again, black but this one had dark blue beads hanging down. Behind them, Harry could see a room draped in blue silk.

Harry pushed past the beads and made his way into the large crowded room. Loud music was playing and lights were flashing; Harry's first impression was he had just stumbled into a disco.

He noticed that everyone appeared to be dressed in the same dark blue cloaks. There were people everywhere; dancing, sitting in the lounges, or hanging out at the bar. It seemed more of a muggle place than magic.

Harry noted curved staircases that led to doors, or platforms, with lounge areas seemingly everywhere. As he stood there, not knowing what to do, Hedwig hooted in annoyance at the volume of the music.

He was ready to turn back when someone grabbed his arm and spoke. "I've been waiting for you."

Harry spun around and came face to face with a girl around his age, maybe a few years older. She had black hair that flashed purple under the lights, grey-blue eyes rimmed with black eyeliner, and creamy white skin. Her slender body was hidden under the standard blue silk cloak.

She offered a bit more as she pulled him up one of the flights of stairs. "I'm Aura, come with me." The stairs wound upward until they reached one of the many lounges. Her curt, "Sit down." Had Harry sinking into a plush leather couch. He wasn't completely sure of all of this. Hedwig sat on his knee and hid her head under her wing.

"Did you send me the letters and the cloak?" Harry asked as Aura returned.

"Yes." She stated as she handed him a crystal tumbler full of fire whiskey.

He accepted the drink but did not raise it to his lips.

"Look, Harry, I know you hardly trust me at all, but your mother trusted me. At least give me a chance?"

Harry looked up into her grey-blue eyes and nodded without thinking.

"Good!" She sat across from him and sipped her whiskey.

"Why am I here?" Harry blurted out.

Aura looked up and smiled. "You're here because this is where you belong. Not with those wizards, or even the muggles, but with us, your kind."

Harry gave her a confused look and she sighed. "Do you know Harry that your mother wasn't a full blooded witch? I mean besides the muggle blood. She was a part of one of the oldest races of all. In fact, more than half of the Wizarding world believes our race to be extinct. You, Harry, inherited your mother's genes. You are, I think, the third male of our species in all history. You, Harry Potter, are a Harpy."

Harry sat there in complete shock. That had been too much information at once. "What?"

"A Harpy; you know, very rare species. Usually only females though there has been as I said two males and now you makes three!" Harry blinked.

"So my mother was a harpy too?"

"Yes, she was, her mate was James Potter, your father, they made a nice couple." Aura smiled brightly.

Harry blinked again.

"I don't have enough time to explain everything to you, I'll give you a book. It will probably be easier to read than listening to a lecture. However, I think I'll just explain some of the basics regarding Harpies anyway."

Harry only nodded. He was reeling from all the information.

She began, "Ok, the first thing is the looks. Over a period of

about three weeks tops, your appearance will change. You'll become more feminine and you'll also grow wings."

He blinked.

"Your wings will be either black, bronze or amber, and you'll only grow them after you meet your mate-"

"MATE!" Harry jumped up in shock, startling Hedwig who hooted angrily

and wouldn't settle down until Harry released her so that she could fly to the back of Aura's chair.

"Yes, Harry, your mate. Every Harpy has one mate. And the mate is always male. Now your mate is the main priority, because if you don't find him by your seventeenth birthday you'll both die.

There is no other way to remain alive. You have to find him."

Harry was about to break in with a question when she answered it. "And you will have to bond with him. Your Harpy magic will help you find him."

Harry huffed and slid down in the seat.

Aura smirked at his tantrum but kept on speaking. "You'll have this kind of allure, like a Veela's, only when you come in contact with your mate, it'll instantly turn off, until you're bonded though it'll keep coming back, unless you're in contact with your mate of course. Also, your mate will have to help you with flying."

By now his tantrum had turned into a full blown glare that only made her smirk more pronounced. "Now, moving on to your powers. Every Harpy develops new powers. You will be able to read minds, see long distances, fly of course, and you'll have the power to conjure a shield for yourself or your mate when either of you is in trouble." She rubbed her hand across her forehead as she thought for a second then added, "I think that's all the basics. If you have any questions please consult the book first. It will help." She pulled out a thick leather book; its front cover adorned with a pair of golden wings.

"Um…Aura?"

"Yes?" Aura looked up.

"Why does everything have a pair of wings?" Harry asked, tracing the golden wings on the book.

"Oh, that's our Harpy sign. It kind of means that anything with the wings on it is Harpy base." In the middle of her explanation she stopped and changed the subject. "That reminds me," She pulled out a small box. "You'll need this."

Harry took the box and opened it. Lying inside the box on a bed of

blue silk, was a golden anklet chain with black stones set into it. The clasp was, of course, a pair of golden wings.

Aura spoke, "It's a kind of magic tracking device. Once you put it on, we'll be able to find you no matter where you are. The bracelet is virtually indestructible. Fire, water, rust, wind, none of them can't damage it. It won't break and whenever you're in danger it'll alert us and we'll come help. Every Harpy has one. You are also going to need the tattoo."

"Tattoo?"

"Yeah, it's just a sign that states you're a Harpy." She pulled up her left trouser leg and showed Harry her identical anklet and a tattoo above her ankle of golden wings.

"Is all this really necessary?" Harry asked nervously.

"Yes. Harry Harpies are rare. Wizards use us in horrid ways so we

need to protect ourselves. You are going to need to be careful of who you tell." She warned. "Now the last thing before you go."

When she stood up, Harry stuffed the anklet box and the book into his bag and stood up as well.

"Follow me." She led him to a door behind the lounges and opened it to show a large room full of clothes.

Harry had never seen so many clothes and stared around the room in wonder.

"Stand on this please." Aura instructed.

Harry stood on the stool uncertainty.

"Lift your arms." As she spoke she pulled out a tape measure and proceeded to size him. "You're going to change soon so we'll have to guess your measurements." She stood for a few minuets looking Harry as the measure wound around him just like the one in Madame Malkin's shop did.

When it was finished she grabbed the parchment and disappeared into a rack of clothes.

Harry looked around more and admired the racks hung from the ceiling covered in clothes. Boxes bursting with clothes were piled up high against a wall; it was a fashion conscious person's dream.

Aura appeared again with an arm full of clothes. "We don't have many male clothes, but Sarah Gwen thought she was having a boy, turned out to be a girl, but we made him some clothing before we knew it was a girl. Here they are." She dumped them at Harry's feet.

Harry stepped down from the stool and began looking through the clothing. Everything was tight fitting and was made up from dark colours. Basically all the items were things Harry had no desire whatsoever to wear.

"Um…thank you…" He didn't want to hurt the woman's feelings but he had no intention of putting those things on.

Aura seemed to know what he was thinking. "You probably aren't able to wear them right now though. They are for a more slender build. You'll Change to fit them soon though."

She pulled out her wand and waved it. A bag floated towards her from somewhere in the back of the stacks and the clothes she had picked out for him jumped into the air and folded themselves neatly before settling down into the case.

Suitcase packed, Harry was more than ready to leave. He was just opening his mouth to ask where the door was when Aura smiled sweetly at him and added, "One last thing to do- you need your tattoo."

Harry paled slightly at the thought. He wasn't really into pain. "Maybe I could get it next time I visit?"

She pretended she hadn't heard his dissent. "Oh don't worry, it doesn't hurt!" As she spoke she pulled him out of the clothing room and led him back through the lounge he had been in earlier, and into another room. "Just sit down."

Harry looked around trying to resist the urge to run for it. He was now in a rather plain room; this one with blue washed walls, a white carpet, and black leather furniture.

"Pull up your trouser leg."

Harry moved his right leg slightly.

Aura eyed him chidingly. "Left one."

Harry did as he was told and waited.

"Ok, I'll do it myself." She pulled out her wand and muttered a complicated charm while pointing it at his ankle.

He felt a prickling sensation travel up his body. At first it left him cold, then hot. It was the oddest feeling yet pleasant.

"Ok. All done." Aura tucked her wand back in her robes and smiled brightly at him. "Told you, no pain; and now you should be a lot safer than you were living at the Dursleys."

Harry looked at his ankle and saw the golden wings gleam in the light.

"You can go now, Harry. Good luck be with you and find your mate soon."

Harry nodded. "Thank you Aura."

"No problem. Now go. Your owl is waiting."

As Harry turned to make his way to the exit she stopped him one final time. "You will need to take the cloak off once you go outside of the building. You must also be careful to tell no one of this place."

Harry nodded and once again turned to leave before pausing, ""Aura?" She looked at him questioningly. "You never told me who your mate is…"

Aura smiled. "I don't think you know him, Kingsley Shacklebolt."

Harry smiled. "Actually, yes, I do know him."

Aura's smile grew wider. "He'll be able to help you then. Now go, good bye and good luck, Harry."

"Bye Aura." He left the room and whistled for Hedwig who came to him, the bag of clothes in her talons. They descended the stairs and made their way back through the crowed of people, back down the

dark hallways and out of the door.

At the door he smiled at the doorman then pulled his cloak off and stuffed it into his pocket. As he eased out the door he noted that there were a few people still moving about in Diagon Alley so he decided to call the Knight bus and return home that way.

 

* * *

 

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3 The Burrow

Chapter Three: The Burrow

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

 

* * *

 

When they got back to the room Hedwig flew up and perched on top of the wardrobe where it was dark and hard to reach. She intended to sleep.

Harry threw his bag down on his bed and stretched before flopping down beside it. He tipped the bag over and dumped the clothes out so that he could inspect them. He finally picked up a skin tight, sleeveless, dark green shirt. How he was ever going to fit into it without using magic was a mystery.

A sharp tapping at the window soon caught Harry's attention and he looked over to see a strange owl flapping impatiently just outside. He quickly slid off the bed and opened the window so the impatient owl could get in.

The unfamiliar owl was not very friendly and as soon as Harry removed the letter from his leg, he took off again. Harry hadn't recognized the owl but he recognized the familiar handwriting on the cream envelope. Harry Potter was scrawled across it.

He quickly opened the missive and began reading:

Dear Harry,

We'll be picking you up to take you to the Weasleys' tomorrow at noon.

Please be packed and waiting.

Yours sincerely,

Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Harry smiled. Perfect! He could talk to Kingsley and he would get to see Ron and, Hopefully, Hermione. He set the letter down and returned his attention to the pile of clothes. 'What to do?'

He shrugged and began packing his new stuff away in his trunk. After that was done, he began scanning the room for his few possessions not already in the trunk. When he picked up his bag, the leather book and the jewelry box fell out. He quickly set the bag down, and picked the fallen items back up. He had forgotten that Aura had given them to him.

He opened the jeweler's box again; the golden anklet with black stones still lay on the bed of blue silk. He gently touched it with a finger before scooping it up for a better look. When he did, the black stones caught the rays of sunlight making their way into his dingy room.

He stared in awe at the glittering stones before unclasping the winged clasp. He wrapped the anklet it around his ankle and reconnected the wings. The anklet glowed an almost blinding light before dimming back to a dull lustre. Harry blinked and fingered the stone, it was now cool and smooth like glass.

Harry's stomach growled loudly and he realized just how hungry he was. He took a minute though to pack the Harpy book in with his other school books before heading down stairs.

The Dursleys had, of course, not realized that their nephew had slipped out that morning, or that he had returned. They merely thought that he was still upstairs in his bedroom.

He wasn't surprised or offended when they did not look up when he entered the room. He slipped past Aunt Petunia, who was making a fruit salad for Harry's large cousin, Dudley. While she was distracted, he deftly palmed an apple then poured himself a glass of water before returning to his room.

Harry didn't bother to mention to the Dursleys that he would be leaving for the rest of the summer. They wouldn't know until after his escort showed up and removed him because they would be out for the day attending the annual company picnic that Vernon's company was holding.

Harry could feel his whole body shake and burn. He tried to moan, but his body protested even that little movement. The only sound he could manage was to cry out in the emptiness of his mind.

He didn't know how long he lay on his bed before his eyes widened as a stinging pain shot down his spine. He bit his lip as another pain shot through him and he could soon taste the tang of his own blood. He felt bile rise in his throat and it took every last bit of his energy to roll over and vomit into his trash can. Aura had never mentioned this!

Several minutes passed before he managed to weakly wipe his mouth. The only thing he had the energy for was staring into the darkness of his room which was dimly lit by the street lamps. As he lay there, he felt his world swirl and darkness consumed him completely.

Harry recalled seeing nothing but darkness for several hours, so it was odd when he saw a bright golden glow being directed at his eyes. He squinted and tried to force his eyes back open. The sun had risen and was hanging suspended just outside his window, flooding his room with a warm glow.

Harry picked up his glasses off the table and slid them on his nose. A few minutes later he managed to raise his hand and touch his lip where he had bitten it raw. A quick look in the trash can revealed more blood than he thought was healthy and he sat up a little too quickly and felt his head spin from the sudden movement.

Hedwig hooted gently in concern from her perch on top of t he wardrobe as he gingerly climbed out of bed and made his way unsteadily toward his trunk for clean clothes. Her concern caused him to glance at the mirror, and he noted absently that he didn't look as thin as usual.

He didn't bother to react, he was still too tired and sore from his midnight transformation to do much of anything. After perusing the contents of the trunk for a few minutes he decided to pull out old second hand clothes from Dudley to wear and leave the clothes that Aura had given him safely tucked away.

Dressed, he made his way downstairs for something to eat. He glanced at the clock, 6:30. In between stretching his aching muscles and flexing his fingers, he raided the refrigerator and found some appetizing food.

Keeping an eye on the time, he sat at the table and quietly ate his first meal in ages. Before going back upstairs, he cleaned everything and put the dishes he had used up.

Too restless to sleep anymore, Harry dug through his trunk and pulled out the Harpy Book. He sat back down on his bed and opened the book. The pages were filled with the same strange markings that outlined his cloak. He growled in frustration and gave up. Tossing the book back into his trunk, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

It seemed he laid there for ages before he heard the Dursleys stirring. He glanced at the clock and noted that it was now 10:35. His escort would be here in just over an hour, but his restlessness had him raking his hands through his messy black hair and looking around for something to do until then.

He finally decided on homework and spent an hour on his Potions essay. The time ticked past like treacle in the wintertime as he waited for the Dursleys to leave the house and for all to become quiet.

He finished the Potions and had just started on his Charms essay when he heard a loud 'CRACK' from downstairs. His harpy instincts kicked in and he found no danger in going downstairs. He packed away his essays and locked Hedwig in her cage before heading down to find Kingsley and Tonks looking around in utter horror at the immaculate fashionable rooms.

"Harry!" Tonks beamed as she gave Harry a small hug. "How are you?"

"I'm fine thanks." Harry returned her smile.

"Is your stuff ready?" Kingsley asked, stepping in.

"Yes. It's upstairs."

Kingsley followed Harry upstairs to his small bedroom.

"Aura told me that she met you the other day." Kingsley muttered to him. "Don't worry about it though. I covered for you so the Order thinks that you just went to the shops."

Harry nodded his thanks. He then mumbled, "I didn't think anyone saw me leave the house."

Kingsley just nodded.

Harry figured he had better ask everything he could while he had the chance so he admitted, "She gave me this book, but I can't read it." He pulled the Harpy Book out of his trunk and showed the Auror.

"Uh, yes." Kingsley took the book and opened it to a random page. "Your Harpy self will be able to recognize it as soon as your transformation has reached that stage of development."

Harry sighed. The harpy thing was beginning to get on his nerves.

Kingsley handed him the book back and pulled out his wand to levitate the trunk down the steps to where Tonks was waiting. "We'll be apparating." He told Harry as he placed the trunk and cage down. "You will go with Tonks and I will bring your things."

Harry nodded and took Tonks' arm. He had never apparated before and after they landed at the Burrow he decided he never wanted to ever again.

"Harry!" Was all the warning he got before he was bowled over by an over-excited Hermione. He fell over backwards and landed painfully on the ground.

"Oi, 'Mione you'll kill him at this rate." Harry looked up into the

freckled face of his best friend.

"Hey, guys." Harry grinned as Hermione climbed off of him and helped him back up.

They were still getting sorted when Kingsley appeared with his trunk and a very grumpy Hedwig. He pretended he didn't see the grass stains on Harry or the blush over Hermione's cheeks. "I'll see you all soon." He said with a smile. "And take care, Harry." He added.

Harry nodded and thanked the two aurors, who then disappeared with another loud 'CRACK'.

The trio piled into the Weasley's kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was making lunch. "Harry, dear, how are you?" She asked as she hugged him in greeting then looked him over.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley." Harry smiled politely.

Soon they were all sitting around the table eating lunch while Ron told Harry about what was going on in the Wizarding world. Harry sat and listened, all the time silently debating with himself on whether he should tell his friends about his inheritance. They were bound to notice something odd when Harry suddenly sprouted wings and did the 'really ugly' appearance change.

He decided to wait before explaining things. Hermione was bound to figure things out anyway. He would have to explain things when she did, but not right now.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4 Truths and Death Eater Attacks

Chapter 4: Truths and Death Eater Attacks.

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

 

* * *

 

Harry bit his lip as he looked himself over and noted that his once skin and bone figure had filled out and curved until his body looked really feminine. Disgusted, he noticed that he hadn't grown any taller.

He then began his perusal of his face. The most startling change was his hair; the mop of untidy black hair had developed a sleek, shiny look, although it retained its natural messiness. He hissed in a fit of pique as he noticed that his huge emerald eyes now seemed to glow behind the sooty eyelashes that fell onto creamy cheeks. He blinked a time or two before giving up in disgust; his eyes looked like a girl's would when she had on fake eyelashes…only these were real!

"Oh, crap!" Harry muttered. His cousin's second-hand clothes no longer fit. He would now have to start wearing the clothes Aura had picked out and handed to him.

Harry could have sworn that Hermione was catching on to him being different. Even Ron seemed suspicious. When he walked into the room in the new clothes, they were going to know for sure.

He brushed back a raven lock of hair that felt like silk, instead of his usual neglected hair, after digging through his trunk and pulling out a pair of tight fitting black jeans and a skin tight, blue shirt. He was almost scared to look in the mirror…

Harry wasn't anywhere near as calm as he looked when he left his room to go downstairs. Mrs. Weasley had given him the use of the twins' room since they had renovated the apartment over their shop and moved into it. This was going to be the first time anyone would see the changes in Harry since he came into his inheritance. He was uncomfortable, even if the Weasleys were practically family.

He found Ginny and Hermione helping Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen with lunch. Ginny was the first to notice Harry's new clothes. Her reaction was to drop a stack of plates while swearing under her breath. Hermione had a little better luck with her reaction, if you call an excellent impression a goldfish appropriate. Mrs. Weasley just fainted on the spot.

"I take it that you don't like it." Harry mumbled.

Ginny blinked and opened her mouth then shut it without verbalizing. She didn't know what to do except eye his very obviously feminine curves.

Hermione took a few seconds to answer. Instead, she bent over and began checking on Mrs. Weasley.

"Uh, yeah…" Harry tugged at the skin tight shirt and looked up at the two girls, unsure of what to say. Luckily, he was saved by the arrival of Ron, who, as usual, was oblivious to Harry's appearance.

"I'm hungry. What's to eat?" It took a few seconds for the atmosphere to hit him. Looking around he noticed Hermione glaring at him from her position beside his unconscious mother. "What happened?" He hadn't really looked at Harry.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but a loud grumble erupted from the heavens and caught everyone's attention. Ginny squealed in alarm, and Harry's Harpy side picked up danger.

"What was that?" Hermione finally managed in a small scared voice. After seeing everyone's blank look, she stood up and went to the window. Outside the once sunny sky had turned to a freezing darkness.

"DEMENTORS!" As the words left Harry's lips, something barged into the kitchen door.

"RUN!" Hermione yelled in panic. Then, remembering Mrs. Weasley, she looked even more scared.

"Go! I'll take care of her!" Harry yelled. If what Aura said was true, the Harpies would come.

Ron, having total faith in Harry, grabbed Hermione and Ginny and pulled them from the kitchen. Harry gave him a thankful look which was replied with a 'You-better-not-die' glare from Ron.

Harry concentrated on making a shield around Mrs. Weasley and him once his Harpy side took over fully and instinct had kicked in. Faintly, in the last glowing candles, he could make out a golden glitter around the two of them. That was the last thing he remembered before the door flew off its hinges and smashed against the opposite wall.

The magical power behind the entry surprised Harry and he almost dropped the shield, but was able to control his magic. He felt the shield stop the effect of the Dementors, who were now gliding into the room. He saw them raise their scabbed hands in confusion because they could feel Mrs. Weasley who was coming around, but they couldn't feel Harry although they could see him.

"H-Harry dear…?" Her voice was heavy with confusion and she hadn't quite noticed the appearance of the Dementors.

"Mrs. Weasley, I need you to stay calm and still." Harry instructed; his eyes still glued to the horrid creatures that he'd once feared.

"Harry, what are you talking…?" She trailed off as her eyes finally came to rest on the servants of Lord Voldemort. "Oh my…"

Harry was hoping she would faint again. Instead, she let out an ear spitting scream. The pain of hearing such a loud noise in an enclosed space had Harry slamming his hands over his ears. He saw the shield fall and moaned softly as his Harpy side refused to work anymore.

The coldness soon hit him like a ton of bricks and he felt his happiness slowly draining away. His mother's screams soon took up counterpoint to Molly's screaming and Harry felt his world begin swaying.

He began cursing himself for not having his wand on him and began fervently praying that the other Harpies were on their way. He lost himself in the sounds of Mrs. Weasley's screaming becoming somewhat dulled by his mother's voice, which grew stronger and stronger. Her begging and pleading tore at his heart and his world was now black with blurs of colour.

Just before he took the final step into the black void in front of him, he saw the glowing outline of a person. He couldn't make it out properly, but suddenly his Harpy instincts reasserted themselves and Harry's eyes snapped open to see two dementors standing in front of him, scabby hands raised to their hoods.

Harry jumped up, his legs wobbling a bit, but able to support him. Another thin shield of gold glitter formed around him just as a Dementor swooped in; it bounced off the shield and hissed in anger. Harry found that if he concentrated a little harder he could get the shield to lash out at them. He found that it was not effective, though because it drained Harry's energy and made the shield weaker so Harry only used that attack twice. He lost track of how much time he stood there maintaining the shield before help arrived.

"HARRY!" Harry looked up and relief washed over him. Aura stood in the doorway, a pair of amber wings jutting out from her shoulder blades and still stretched out as far as the enclosed space would allow, her blue cloak flapping lazily behind her.

"Aura." He whispered in relief.

She pulled out her wand and waved it at the Dementors. A silver-grey Antipodean Opal eye Dragon shot from her wand and circled around the Dementors, who began hissing and moving back out the destroyed door.

Harry noted idly that Mrs. Weasley was still out cold. Mentally he thanked Merlin, because she had a gawd-awful screech! And they thought harpies were bad?

Aura approached Harry after retracting her wings into her back. "Harry?" She inquired as she bent down and touched his icy cold cheek.

Harry shivered at her warm touch. He finally choked out, ""I'm fine."

She smiled at him and looked around. "I'm sorry I didn't come earlier." She smiled in apology and took his arm lightly. "I must speak with you." She pulled him out of the archway which once had a door.

Outside, Harry saw that the sky was clearing up, but the icy chill still lingered in the air.

"Harry," She waited until he looked back at her, "usually this would never happen under normal circumstances. Of course with Voldemort around we need to take drastic measures. I need to train you in case something like this happens again."

Harry nodded; he was still shaking from the sudden attack. How did they know he was here?

"I'm afraid we must part for now, but I'll visit you again very soon. Be careful, Harry." She gave him a small hug and her wings reappeared.

Harry watched her fly out of sight.

Far away from the Burrow, a certain blond haired Slytherin boy was reaching for a book when an invisible force trapped him. "What the fuck!" Echoed down the halls for what seemed ages.

Shortly after the Weasley family was settled back into their home, Hermione dragged Harry upstairs and into Ginny's room, where she was staying and proceeded to give him the 'I-know-something's-up' look.

Ginny and Ron just sat on Ginny's bed. They decided to let Hermione handle this one on her own. They were both still slightly in shock after hearing Molly talk about what happened after they escaped.

"Harry James Potter, what is happening?"

Harry looked away, unsure of what to say. Hermione wouldn't stop until she learned what it was she wanted to know, he just wasn't sure what he should tell her, Ron, and Ginny.

Hermione glared at him and said, "Don't make me say things that we will both regret, Harry. Those Dementors that came here today were after you, yes? We need to know why so that nobody gets killed. We aren't asking for information just so we can say we know all about you. This is serious and you need to start talking."

He sighed and sat down. He explained from the start; telling them of the odd pains and letter, about the strange club, and meeting Aura, about what he learned so far, and the Dementor attack.

The three sat in stunned silence for what seemed ages to Harry's sensitive nerves. Ginny was the first to recover. "So you're a Harpy?"

Harry nodded.

"COOL!"

Harry sighed in relief; that was one. He looked over at Hermione and Ron.

"Wow…I didn't think Harpies existed anymore." Hermione smiled.

"Bloody hell…" Ron grinned.

Harry couldn't keep the smile off his face. It was as good as plastered there. "So you're ok with this?"

They nodded.

"Good because I haven't told you the worst of it. Every Harpy has a mate…" Ron and Ginny were gapping at him, while Hermione looked thoughtful.

"It makes sense." She muttered. "So who is your mate?"

"I don't know! But I have to find him before my seventeenth birthday or we'll both die."

"Maybe he's at Hogwarts." Hermione suggested.

Ron suddenly shivered and the others turned to him questioningly. "I just thought, 'what if it was Malfoy'."

Something in Harry cooed softly at the mention of that name, but he waved it off as nothing.

"Well, whoever it is, we'll support you, Harry." Hermione smiled.

"Yeah, even if it's Malfoy!" Ginny giggled.

"Thanks." Harry smiled. Well now he had that out of the way all he needed was to find his mate.

The next day, Mrs. Weasley was still shaken from the Dementors attack, so Mr. Weasley took the four shopping. Harry and Ron were looking through the Twin's joke shop when Harry caught sight of something silvery-blonde. His Harpy side flared to life, and Harry, thinking there was danger, tried to shield. The shield did not materialize as he expected, but his Harpy side was out of control. He was hit by a rush of dizziness and tried to sit down, but fell.

"Harry!" Ron's face swam into view.

Harry blinked clearing his vision. That was strange…His Harpy side whined softly then settled down. Harry rubbed his forehead. First Dementors, and now his Harpy side went completely haywire. He needed to read that book!

"Harry what happened?" Ron helped him up.

"I don't know. My Harpy side just suddenly went off." Harry rubbed his elbow where it had hit against the counter on his way down.

When they got home Ron, Ginny and Hermione followed Harry up to the twins' old bedroom and got comfortable while he dug through his trunk and found the book.

As the others couldn't read it, Harry read aloud, since his Harpy side finally recognized the language the book was written in. "Harpies are one of the many species who require a life mate. The Harpy, who is usually female, will always have a male mate. Male Harpies are exceedingly rare and they also choose a male mate. Much of the information on male Harpies is pure speculation and will not be covered here."

Ron snorted, "That figures…"

Hermione shushed him and motioned for Harry to continue.

"Harpies normally mate with wizards as they require magical strength in their mate in order to reproduce. Harpies will sometimes accept a Veela, or in extremely rare cases, a squib as their mate, though. When a Harpy first sees her mate, the Harpy personality will try to take over completely, which seems to result in dizzy spells."

Harry finished reading and frowned. So his Harpy side had just caught sight of his mate, but who could it have been?

"Harry, who did you see before you got dizzy?" Hermione asked.

"The shop was full of people. It could be anyone." Harry sighed. But he couldn't shake the image of silver-blonde hair from his mind. There was also the fact that every time he pictured that hair, his Harpy self would purr. This was getting annoying.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5 Training and Black Wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is 11 pages on a word doc and I hope that everyone likes it.

Chapter 5: Training and Black wings.

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

 

* * *

 

Harry dodged the jet of silver-blue flame, rolling to the side and out of harms way.

Aura landed in a crouch in front of the panting,bleeding boy. "Concentrate, Harry!" She instructed as she placed her hands on her white, leather-clad hips.

She observed him for a few seconds and let him ease his breathing before reaching down and pulling him to his feet; her wings flapping lazily behind her as she did so.

"I'm sorry, Aura. I can't seem to think fast when you are throwing balls of blue flame at me." Harry retorted sarcastically.

She acted like she hadn't heard him. "You know, it would be much easier if you knew who your mate is. Then you could just picture him." Aura pointed out smugly. Harry responded with a half-hearted glare. "I think you've gone through enough tonight. I had better get back upstairs to those wizards." Harry nodded and stumbled forwards.

"Wow…" He mumbled as Aura caught him. "Damn! That took a lot out of me." He admitted as she steadied him.

As they were standing there, letting Harry regroup after his training session, one of the bodyguards whom Harry had met the first night he visited the club appeared, "Aura?"

"Stay here, Harry." She commanded before walking forward to speak with the guard privately. Harry leaned back against the wall and looked around at his surroundings.

He was in the same Harpy nightclub that Aura brought him to every night since she had started training him. They were in a large empty room with a few burn marks.

He did not know how much time had elapsed since she left, but he was slightly startled when Aura reappeared. Her purple-black hair was now tied back in a ponytail. She was still clad in the tight white leather pants, but she had now accessorized with a thick purple dragon-hide belt, and she was now wearing a tight sleeveless vest in the same material as her pants. She looked every inch the exotic creature she really was with her wings spread out behind her.

Harry couldn't suppress the tinge of awe in his voice as he asked her, "What's going on?" Aura was used to adulation and didn't bother to chide the beautiful boy in front of her. She tried not to exhibit any concern for him as she saw him wiping the sweat from his brow. He really did need his mate…

"Just another party."Aura managed a real smile as she took Harry's arm. "Let's go." Was the only warning he got before she made them both disappear. A swirl of bronze, amber, black and dark blue was all that marked their passing.

When Harry next blinked again, he was standing in Fred and George's old bedroom at the Burrow. Aura had to steady him again. This time she could barely keep the concern out of her voice, "Will you be OK?" She asked.

"Yeah, I will be OK." Was the last thing Harry muttered before he collapsed on George's bed.

"Right!" Aura shook her head at the sleeping Harpy. "Good night, Harry." She whispered. Then she added, "Good luck at school and I hope you find your mate soon." Even in his sleep he heard her and strived to respond.

Harry murmured a soft reply before rolling over and falling into a sleep so deep that even Voldemort couldn't touch.

 

* * *

 

 

"Harry! Harry! Wake up." He groaned and turned his back on the voice that was disturbing his rest. "Harry James Potter, wake up now!" Hands grabbed his shoulders and he was shaken violently awake.

"What?" Harry snapped as he opened his eyes.

The bleary sight of Hermione standing over him caused him to stop fussing in mid-rant and shriek as he threw his hands over his eyes to hide the Medusa-like sight in front of him.

"Harry, get up! It is almost time to leave for school. Here are your glasses." Hermione glowered as she handed the cowering boy his eyewear which he promptly put on.

She did not look so bad once he could see her properly. "Up…? Why?" He questioned in between stretching and yawning.

Hermione sighed in irritation. "Hogwarts? We are supposed to go back to school today, remember?"

At the name of the Wizarding school, Harry sat up, "School today?"

"Yes." Hermione confirmed with a smile before leaving the room so that the Harpy change in peace.

Harry climbed out of the bed and pulled clothes out of his trunk. After pulling on jeans and a tight shirt, he attempted to brush his hair. Although it did looked silky smooth, it was still a messy mop which was as difficult to straighten as ever. He raked the brush through it, then gave up after it was untangled.

"Harry, you up yet mate?" Ron called as he pushed the door open and strolled in. He was still in the process of pulling a maroon Weasley jumper on and his voice was muffled.

"What?" Harry turned to see Ron's head emerging from the jumper. "Yeah." He answered then went back to looking himself over.

He gave a final tug at the brush then said, "Ready when you are."

"Yea…" Ron seemed to have gone off somewhere as he stared unseeingly at a spot beside Harry's head.

"Uh…Ron?" Harry walked over to Ron and shook his shoulder lightly before Ron came back out of his daze.

"What?"

"Are you OK?" Harry had never seen his friend so distant.

"Uh… yeah?"

Harry knew what it was all about. After coming into his Harpy inheritance, he'd discovered that he could sense other people's attractions to each other. Neither of his friends had approached him yet about their problem.

From the doorway, Harry heard Hermion say, "Ronald, Harry, are you two ready yet?" He looked over at the bushy haired prefect and nodded. Seeing her still standing there, he reckoned they had better move.

"Coming, Mione!" He grabbed his trunk and began dragging it over to her, with Ronald trailing along behind.

As they were making their way downstairs, Mrs. Weasley appeared at the bottom of the steps and called up, "Are you three ready?"

She was much better after the Dementor incident, although she had not recovered completely. She now had a quietness about her that actually seemed to suit her better than the 'screamer' Molly personality that she used to project. The Golden Trio nodded and followed her to the fireplace. Harry's stomach gave a painful twist as he thought of 'flooing'.

"Harry, Dear, you first." He nodded and left his trunk to step into the fireplace, grabbing a handful of floo powder, and calling, "Platform 9 and ¾."

The flames roared to life and Harry's world spun before his eyes. His Haryp-self shrieked in displeasure, which came out as a mangled squawk that caused Harry to choke on a mouthful of soot. He suddenly took a sharp turn and was spat out on the crowded platform. Students hurried around him, and he quickly picked himself up and dusted the soot off his clothes. As he finished tidying himself up, Ron tumbled out, followed quickly by Hermione and Ginny. The four friends had time to straighten themselves out and look around a bit before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived carrying the baggage.

"Right then, is everyone here?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking around the small group of teens who all answered in the positive. Harry's eyes looked subconsciously around the platform as his Harpy-self whined. While he was distracted, he was caught in a bone-crushing hug by Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh, Harry! Remember to take care of yourself, and don't get into trouble at school." He nodded, unable to talk. He drew in a shaky breath of relief when she finally released him to wipe unshed tears from her eyes.

Hermione, seeing his distress at being touched, tried to save him. She tugged him toward the scarlet steam engine as its whistle cut through the farewells of parents and students. The four boarded the train and waved to the Weasley parents from the windows as the train sped away.

 

* * *

 

 

While they waved goodbyes to the older red heads, a certain blond haired, sixth year, Slytherin Prefect pushed his way to the Prefect compartment.

Draco was in a bad mood because the annoying bitch, Pansy Parkinson, was trailing along behind him. He had to continually bite back growls of rage as she jabbered on about her holiday in America. Draco couldn't care less about the damned holiday, in fact, he thought viciously as he pushed past some First years, 'I wish some magical creature would have eaten her manky body while she had been on vacation.'

He finally reached the compartment and walked in, closing the door in Pansy's pug-face. He noted absently that two of the Golden Trio were already there. Snarling at them, he took his place at the table and waited for the Head Boy and Girl to arrive. He gave everyone an extra glare when they made room for Pansy to sit beside him, and noticed idly that Ron had been the only person to return his glare before turning to the frizzy headed know-it-all beside him to continue some inane argument. The blond smirked as he thought that Ron and Hermione quarrelled more than an old married couple.

After the meeting ended, Draco, with Pansy still tagging along and talking ninety miles an hour, returned to the compartment the Sixth year Slytherin boys were sharing. Blaise, Goyle, Crabbe, and Nott were sitting around eating sweets and talking about their holidays.

"Draco, nice of you to finally join us." Blaise smirked.

Draco just nodded and sat down beside the dark haired boy. They all snickered rudely as Nott slammed the door in Pansy's face before she could enter. Draco joined in the conversation as they sped towards Hogwarts.

As the sky grew darker and the lights flickered to life the train began to slow down, the group stood and prepared themselves to leave. The Hogsmeade station was in even more pandemonium than the London station. At least in London the parents were there to control the First Years.

Here, everyone rushed around fighting to get to their friends, and then fighting to find seats in the carriages that would take them to the feast up at the castle. While the other Slytherins were looking for an empty carriage, Draco pushed aside a small group of Third Years and hopped into their carriage in front of them. He smirked evilly at them as the other Slytherin boys filed into the carriage and Nott snapped the door closed on their complaining faces before they could protest the thievery.

"Nice to see you haven't lost your touch." Blaise complimented Draco as he stared moodily out the window. The others just left him alone and sat back to enjoy bumpy ride on the lumpy seats.

 

* * *

 

 

Hermione pulled Harry along as he stared around alertly. "Harry, will you please hurry up?" She finally snapped at him as she tried to drag him along to the carriages.

"I'm really sorry, Hermione. It is just…" He trailed off when he caught sight of the same silver-blond hair he had seen earlier in Diagon Alley. The Harpy purred loudly just before Harry's eyes were torn away from the beautiful sight.

Ron thumped him on the back. "Ready, Mate?"

Harry nodded, feeling the anxiety build in his chest as he lost sight of the blond hair. The agony settled to a low while from his Harpy as the blond vanished from sight.

No one else seemed to notice his distress as they settled down in the carriage they were sharing with Neville. He sat in quiet agony as Ron and Neville began an argument regarding Quidditch season.

Everyone was still clueless as the carriage stopped and Harry jerked back to reality. After descending the carriage, he patted the invisible horse in thanks, and then headed into the Great Hall. As he followed the sea of students that poured into the Great Hall before separating and going separate ways to the four tables, a creamy hand reached out and grabbed Harry's shoulder in order to pull him through the students.

"What?" Harry trailed off as he stared into the familiar pair of grey-blue eyes of his mentor. "Aura?"

"Hey yourself." Aura smiled as she looked Harry up and down and noticed his outfit. He had on the Gryffindor robes that everyone else wore, yet they seemed quite in vogue on his lithe frame.

Harry, in turn, couldn't help looking at Aura. She was dressed in a simple, but effective, purple and silver robe. "What are you doing here?" He finally managed to ask.

"I'm one of the new professors here this year." Aura's smile grew and she winked at him. Harry only answered her with a confused look. Aura pulled him aside, further from the watching students and whispered, "Because of you having to kill Voldemort. It's best if you complete your Harpy training soon." Harry got the gist of it, but she carried on talking, "So, in order for you to get training, I will be posing as a professor and helping you out. This way, it won't look so suspicious if you keep sneaking off." Harry blinked at the purple haired woman a few times before nodding his understanding.

The odd thought circled in his head, 'Why would I sneak out for that'. Aura, under no circumstances, appealed to him… He was relieved to hear her say, "Now go. We will talk later." The she pushed him towards Ron and Hermione who were standing together, waiting patiently for the strange woman to let loose of him.

"Who is she?" Hermione whispered as she cast a last furtive glance at the new professor.

"New professor." Harry sat down before the two of them could ask anymore questions. Hermione glared at him before shaking her head at the obviously oblivious creature.

Harry Potter, since he had come into his inheritance, was even more of an enigma than he had been before, and saying he was 'reticent' before would have been a mild word for his personality.

The Sorting Hat soon distracted Hermione as she tried to memorize each child's name and their house as they were called forward and sorted. It seemed like no time had elapsed before Dumbledore stood up and announced that a new year was starting and it was going to be important for everyone to work together and stay vigilant.

"Another year has arrived and our days grow darker, but do not dwell completely on the threat to our world and forget the joys of each moment. It is time to welcome our new students and our new professors, especially Professor Aura LeRoy."

Aura stood up, a charming smile plastered on her face. She was a beautiful woman, and yet she could not hold the attention of the crowd. Harry knew this because he could feel the eyes of almost everyone in the room on him. They were staring at him in lust…? He gulped and felt a crimson blush stain his cheeks.

He stopped glancing around the hall and turned his attention back to Dumbledore, trying to shake off his uneasiness. Had he looked any longer at the room, Harry would have seen a pair of silver-grey eyes glaring angrily around the room at the students daring to discomfit Harry Potter.

The last of the dessert was cleared off the plates as students sat back, tired, and ready to make their way to their common rooms. It had been a long day and almost everyone was ready to sleep.

"I think it is time for all of you to be off." Dumbledore smiled. "Chop, chop." Tired students climbed to their feet and fell into lines, marching across the Great Hall and through the corridors.

Harry walked with the crowd, not concentrating on where he was going, when someone behind him pushed past him with a shove that sent him careening into the person in front of him. As soon as the person shoving him came into contact with him, a stinging, ripping pain shot down his back and tore at his shoulder blades.

Harry's vision swan as he choked on the waves of pain swamping him. It was agony standing near everyone and he tried to push away from his concerned friends. The pain was growing stronger and all he really wanted to do was rip at his stinging skin.

"Harry?" The voice echoed in his mind.

"Help…" He managed before the pain took over and he collapsed face down on the cold stone of the corridor floor.

"Harry, your wings!" He barely recognized Aura's words, the trembling of his body was more like an agonized bone-deep shuddering and it was affecting all his senses.

It wasn't until she tenderly raised his head slightly and tilted it at an angle the he could see a wing that appeared to be connected to his back. He flinched to see the blood and mucus that coated them. He looked rather like a baby animal just after birth; the thought that he needed to clean up echoed in his head.

Then he felt Aura shrug out of her cloak and begin using it to gingerly wipe away the blood andafterbirth that coated him. He hissed in pain, but submitted to the indignity of being attended to in such a public place by the older harpy.

"So, I take it that you have just met your mate and have had direct contact with him. Who is he?"

Harry hissed again and blinked back tears as his tired mind tried to process Aura's words. "Um…" He tried to remember who had shoved him, but his mind came up blank. "I'm not sure. I was walking along and someone shoved me. I felt a blinding pain about the same time I crashed into Ginny, but I know she isn't my mate." He pouted for a minute as Aura thought about what he had just said. When she did not speak, he added, "I'm not sure! There were too many people. It could have been anyone." His arguments did not draw her in. Aura simply nodded and went back to cleaning her fledgling up.

As she worked on him she thought about what to do. Finally, she spoke, "Now we really need your mate. With your wings out, you will need his guidance and help more than ever." She snorted at the pitifully moaning young Harpy.

Most of the thick crimson blood that she hadn't cleaned up had soaked into Harry's robes, but the now clean drying wings were going to be a problem.

"Maybe you will be able to do this without your mate." Aura saw the frustration on Harry's face, but pretended not to. "Now, Harry, I need you to concentrate hard on pulling your wings back in."

She saw him gather what little magical energy he had left before attempting to draw his wings back growled at the pain and blinked back hot tears of pain and rage.

Aura sighed, and wiped the tears away. She had never thought when she had been appointed by the Queen of the Harpies to tend the newest fledgling that she would come to love it like it was her own child. Watching this boy's pain, she wanted to remove it from him.

"Maybe you should take the day off tomorrow." She softly said. "I will give your excuses to your other teachers." Harry nodded, but stopped immediately when the movement only made his head ache louder. Aura lightly kissed his brow in a motherly way. "Come now, Harry. It is time for you to get upstairs to your common room and find your bed."

Her response was a small snore. The fledgling had fallen asleep in the middle of the corridor.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To get the next chapter I need kudos and comments! Or else!


	6. Chapter 6 Suspicious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone likes this. I did go through and check for errors but if there are any that I've missed by telling me in the comments.

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

 

* * *

 

The next day rumors spread like bush-fire around the school as everyone discussed Harry Potter.

"Did you see how he just ran out of the hall?"

"I heard from Jeffrey, who heard it from Dean that he saw these black things coming out of his back."

"I heard that he's been cursed and is now a creature of evil. What? I did!"

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny rolled their eyes at the absurd rumors, but refused to voice their opinions.

"Do you think he is all right?" Hermione whispered to Ron at breakfast after Colin Creevey repeated the 'dark creature' comment at the Gryffindor table.

"Hopefully…" Ron mumbled back, biting into a piece of toast at the same time.

Hermione nodded and shifted when she felt someone watching them. She looked up in time to see Professor LeRoy staring at her from the Teacher's table. Hermione had a flickering thought that their new professor knew something.

"Come on, Ron." She whispered as she stood up.

"Mione, where are we going?" Ron whined as he followed the bushy-haired prefect.

She walked right up to Professor LeRoy, who was seated between Hagrid and Professor Snape.

"Miss Granger, how may I help you?" The smile on LeRoy's face was one of polite inquiry. The hard light in her eyes betrayed her knowledge of the situation.

"Professor, I was wondering if you could help Ron and me with something." Hermione stared back at the woman and watched her smile grow.

"Of course." The professor set her goblet down and stood. She waited until they moved and followed them out into the hall. Once they were in a safe, empty hallway, she pulled them into a shadowy corner.

"Harry is fine." She stated calmly and watched Ron and Hermione both sigh in relief. "However, he does need rest and recover before he can join everyone else later today.

"What happened?" Hermione's eyes widened as she panicked at hearing the words 'rest' and 'recover'.

"He got his wings." The professor smiled proudly; as if she were telling them that her son had just won first place in the Spelling Bee.

"What?" Ron choked out as Hermione only stood there and gaped at her.

Finally, Hermione managed, "But, doesn't he need his mate for that?" When Aura nodded, she added, "Who is it?"

"Well… You see, Harry hasn't met him properly yet." Aura's face took on an uneasy look.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, taking over for Hermione, who seemed to have gone into shock.

"You'll see. But, for now, we have classes." Aura walked calmly off and left the two standing there staring at each other questioningly.

"She didn't say where he is!" Ron hissed angrily.

 

* * *

 

 

Harry lay peacefully in the strange bed, savouring the smooth texture of the silk sheets on his raw back. His fingers combed through silky silver-blond hair while the silver-grey eyes of his mate looked at him adoringly. Harry felt his heart skip a beat and he felt light swirl around them, shifting soft black feathers, and causing them to tumble gracefully around them; were setting a perfect image.

"I love you." A voice whispered in his ear. He shivered, craving more of this mystery person who somehow seemed so familiar.

 

* * *

 

 

"Harry?"

A voice gently roused him and he blinked sleepily from his daze. "Hmmm?"

Aura's face came into view and she smiled. "Nice of you to finally wake up." As she spoke, she placed the tray of food she was carrying across his lap. "Here, eat. You need your energy."

"What time is it?" Harry yawned, sitting up.

"A little after breakfast. I brought you some food before I go to class." Aura brushed a stray lock of hair off his cheek in a motherly fashion. "I'll come back later to check on you. Rest for now." She ordered then left him to eat his breakfast.

Harry picked up a piece of toast and delicately bit into it. He thought back to his dream. He couldn't help the smile when he thought of that mysterious person; the one who had made him feel whole…

He tried to go back to sleep after he ate, but was too restless to. He finally identified the bed as belonging to Aura, simply because she had brought some of her personal effects with her.

The first clue had been the books written in Harpy language, which luckily he could now read. There was also a portrait of a female who Aura identified as Harmony, the first Queen of the Harpys.

Harmony was a proud woman with a soft face and rosy cheeks. Her lips were a soft cherry colour, and her golden hair hung in delicate strands around her slender shoulders. Harry took some time to study her wings; they were a beautiful bronze, fully displayed and glittering.

From Harmony's picture, Harry's gaze drifted to their second queen, Rowena. She seemed to have a more delicate build than Harmony, with a round face and liquid blue eyes that drew one's attention to her. Her lips were thin and pale while her hair was a dirty blond, cut short to brush her shoulders. She had amber wings and held them so that her body was half covered.

Harry's favourite portrait was the one of a beautiful Harpy and what appeared to be her mate. The nameplate read only "Selene, the Harpy, and Alvaise, her mate".

Selene was beautiful. She appeared to be about seventeen when she had been painted, maybe a little older, with creamy skin and a thin, delicate body. Her dark red lips contrasted with her bright golden eyes as she stared up at her lover. As he watched the animated portrait as the two subjects hugged each other and whispered softly into the other's attentive ear. Selene's hair was a vibrant black; black like the midnight-black wings that flapped lazily behind her.

Alvise was a strong man with stronger features. His hair was curly and dark, tendrils of it brushed below his ears. He occasionally scanned the room, the light catching his cobalt blue eyes, before he returned his gaze to the beautiful harpy that he never seemed to release from his arms.

The painting of the backdrop was as unique as the subjects. They resided in a pale rose backdrop with creamy white flower petals falling gently around them. It was all too perfect and Harry felt a longing deep in his Harpy self.

He sighed for what must have been the hundredth time as Alvise picked Selene up and spun her around. Watching her face light up and listening to her sweet tinkling laugh was beginning to seriously depress him.

"Harry?"

His gaze finally left the couple and turned to Aura who was standing in the doorway. It was of little interest to him that she was holding fresh clothes.

She saw the object of his attention and smiled. "Do you like the picture?"

Harry was slightly startled to see that she had moved into to the room and was placing the clothes on the bed. "Yes, it's a beautiful picture." He whispered as his eyes returned to the Harpy and her mate.

"Selene was once a third cousin. Before…" She trailed off and sighed. After getting herself under control she continued. "Before Voldemort murdered Alivse." Her voice caught on a sob as she finished in a rush, "She took her own life to be with him."

"Oh…" Harry didn't know what to say to make Aura feel better so he kept his gaze on the portrait and gave her time to collect herself. He understood without having met the couple exactly why they would go to any lengths to stay together.

Aura sniffed a few more times then went back to being Aura. "This is another reason why Harpies are so protective of anyone who falls into their lives. Harpies, their mates and children; we care for them all and try to make sure none are hurt."

Harry gave her one of his charming little brat smiles and said, "And here I thought I was special to you because I'm the closest thing to a baby you have to spoil right now."

She suddenly brightened and threw the clothes at him. "Get dressed; you seem well enough to go to dinner." Then before he could protest at what she had laid out, she darted out of the room.

He finally climbed out of bed and looked at the clothes she left. "Thanks, Aura." He muttered sarcastically as he pulled on the tight slim fitting black pants that hugged his body in all the right places. The pants didn't need a belt, but there was a dragon-skin belt sitting on the bed. His shoes were made of the same fine dragon-hide, strong but with an elegant touch.

By the time he pulled on the sleeveless black leather shirt which showed off his curvy body, he was ready to die from embarrassment. He was convinced that pimps didn't dress their whores this badly.

The mirror immediately began cooing to him in a sexy voice. "Oh, darling boy, you do look ravishing. If only I were your mate and not a neglected old mirror!"

He finally overcame his embarrassment long enough to get a good look at himself. He did, in fact, look good. He admitted this to himself somewhere between straightening his glasses and fluffing his still messy, but silky, hair so that it would fall over his scar and cover it.

"Are you ready yet?" Aura called.

Harry was headed for the door when he notices something that had slipped his attention earlier. The bathroom door was open and revealed an ash-white marble room. It was normal, nothing much out of place, except the clothes hanging over the bath.

Those clothes had belonged to him before they had been ripped and coated in blood. Aura's cloak was also coated in it. Looking at the soiled items, Harry felt sick. His stomach heaved and he felt dizziness swamp him; he managed to grab the doorframe and stay upright as he began to suck in great lungs full of air to keep from passing out.

Aura seemed to have grown impatient with him not answering her because she chose that moment to stroll back in. "Harry, what are you…" She forgot to finish the sentence as she spied him still clinging to the doorframe, pale and obviously ill.

Aura rushed to his side and steadied him. It was then that she noticed the bloodied clothing she had hung up earlier and forgot to wash. Grimacing, she eased him back to bed while murmuring, "Come on, Harry."

"What happened? I didn't think I would lose that much blood!" Harry looked up at her hysterically. He felt empty and sick all at once.

"Harry, don't worry." Aura soothed. "When your wings appear, you tend to lose blood. With yours ripping through so quickly, you lost a bit more blood than a Harpy usually does."

He calmed down enough to take in Aura'a words.

"Now, I think it is best that you stay here for a bit longer. Aura commanded lightly.

"N-no, I want to see Ron and Mione." Harry protested.

Aura sighed. "Only if you promise not to over-do things. The second you start feeling off, I want you to go back to your dorm."

Harry agreed and followed Aura shakily from the room. They headed for the Hall and by the time they got there, Harry had calmed down enough tot act normal.

"Aura…"

"Yes?" Aura turned her head to Harry.

"I-I don't have my school robes." Harry knew that most people didn't wear their uniforms to dinner but he felt better when he wore his, it hid his curvy body and he felt much better.

"You don't need it." Aura brushed it off lightly and opened the door for Harry.

Harry nodded to her and slipped in, walking hurriedly to the Gryffindor table. As he passed the other tables they fell silent and watched him, lust creeping into their stares.

He sat beside Hermione and smiled weakly at Ron who sat across from them.

"Where were you?" Hermione demanded in a motherly tone.

"I'll explain later." Harry mumbled, his cheeks flushed. He didn't appreciate the attention from everyone.

Hermione and Ron quickly noticed his nervous actions under the lusty gazes.

"Hi, Harry!" Ginny joined the Golden Trio and smiled at Harry.

Thrilled that she hadn't gone all weird on him also, Harry returned her cheerful smile. "Hey Gin." His Harpy self crowed unhappily when he noticed the jealous looks directed at Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.

By the time dinner was over, it had become interminable. Ron, Hermione and Ginny quickly swept him out of the hall and headed for the Gryffindor common room.

"Where were you?" Hermione repeated when the four settled down in a far corner where they could have privacy.

"Aura's room."

The three gave him strange looks.

"When I left the Hall yesterday night someone tripped me and I fell. Somehow it caused my wings to appear. It hurt like hell." Harry added bitterly. "Anyway, I found Aura and after my wings appeared I passed out. I was in bed all day because I lost a lot of blood." Harry shuddered at the image of the bloody garments.

"Oh Harry, are you alright?" Ginny asked in a worried tone that reminded Harry of Mrs. Weasley.

"Yeah, I'm fine now." He smiled.

"So you have your wings now?" Hermione asked her eyes alight with awe.

"Yeah, they're bloody painful too." Harry winced.

"Can we see them?" Ginny whispered. Harry thought about it and agreed.

They all quickly made their way up to the 6th Year boys' dormitory. Once there, Harry locked the door before concentrating, and a ripping pain shot through him. It wasn't as agonizing as the first time they had appeared.

He was pleased to note that the shirt seemed to have a Harpy spell on it because his wings emerged and spread out; not as big as Aura's wings, but they were still beautiful.

"Wow…" Ginny and Hermione whispered together, they held out their hands and let their fingers stroke the coal black feathers.

"They are beautiful." Hermione murmured, and then flushed.

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled in surprise.

"Shhh, Ron!" Ginny scolded, reminding Harry even more of Mrs. Weasley.

Harry put his concentration into bringing his wings back in and afterwards felt drained. He sat on his bed and was soon hugged by Hermione.

After a moment she pulled back. "Harry, aren't you suppose to come into contact with your mate for your wings to appear?" Suspicion crept into her curious tone and Harry looked away sheepishly.

"Well, you see…um…, Aura reckons it was my mate who bumped into me. That's how the wings came. But, I never saw him."

There was a moment of silence, broken by Ron's snickers.

"Ronald!" Ginny and Hermione snapped.

Harry smiled at his friends and lay down. "I don't know about you three but I'm tired!" He yawned. He was soon sleeping.

 

* * *

 

 

The mystery person was back. Harry felt content in the warm embrace. "I won't leave…" At the three words he felt like nothing could touch him, not even Voldemort.

 

* * *

 

 

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will hopefully be up for anyone that is interested.


	7. Chapter 7: Cold Kiss can turn you Hot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Give god your weakness and he'll give you his strength

Chapter 7: Cold Kiss can turn you Hot

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

 

* * *

 

Harry was finding it difficult to breathe. He was scared as hell, standing in front of the hall in only a pair of shorts while everyone stared at his bruised lips.

2 days before:

The Charms classroom was alive with talk. The Gryffindors occupied the middle rows and were currently discussing the approaching Quidditch season. "Gryffindor will win for sure!" Dean Thomas announced as he pumped his fist in the air.

"With Harry on our side there will be no stopping us!" Seamus added as he grinned at the raven-haired seeker who was busy flipping through his Charms book.

Harry was digging desperately through all his books, trying to find a charm to stop people from gaping at him. He had already gone through his Potions, Transfiguration, and DADA books. So far he had come up with nothing. It was beginning to look like his Charms book was also a lost cause.

He didn't want to bother Hermione, Ron, Aura, or Ginny with the problem. He didn't want to go to the Library for a different resource book either.

"Harry? Hey Harry!"

He looked up sharply at Ron's call and gave him a sheepish look.

"Sorry, Ron." He closed the book and set it back on the desk in order to follow the conversation.

"Harry, are you OK?" Hermione inquired. She leaned closer so that only Harry could hear her.

He saw the worry on her face and immediately felt bad. "Yes, I'm fine." He nodded, but he saw that it didn't ease her fears any.

"Harry, mate, what do you think of the Quidditch season? Are we going to get that cup or what?" Ron pulled Harry away from

Hermione and grinned at his smaller friend.

Harry smiled and joined in with the talk. But, at the back of his mind was the fact that his Harpy senses could feel someone staring at him.

At lunch the noise level in the Great Hall had increased with the loud obnoxious boasting from the Slytherin table. Nott had announced in a loud voice, "So, Zabini, when will we be holding the meeting?"

His announcement was met by most of the other students staring at him in shock before they all started whispering. At the Gryffindor table, Ron mumbled, "Most likely a Death Eater-in-training meeting. They need to gather and see who can kiss he-who-must-not-be-named's ass the best."

This announcement was met by laughter from Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Neville, and Harry. The eye roll from Hermione was followed by a small lecture. "Really Ron, if it were a Death-Eater meeting then they wouldn't be boasting about it." She snapped curtly.

"I wonder what is going on." Ginny thought aloud.

"Most likely Quidditch strategies," Hermione's suggestion was met by looks of interest from Harry and Ron while Ginny and Neville looked at him as if she were stupid, "or something." She mumbled before shrugging it off.

"Or it could be…" Sean trailed off, looking around as the others leaned in. "I heard a rumour that every year the Slytherins, Fifth year and up, participates in a series of games."

"Like what? Ring-around-the-rosy?" Ron snorted contemptuously.

"No, more like 'Dare-or-torment'." Seamus put in.

"Or, 'Cold-kiss'." Dean added.

"'Cold-Kiss'?" Harry piped up, looking at them in confusion.

"Haven't you ever heard of 'Cold-Kiss'?" Ron asked in a shocked voice.

Harry shook his head. "No. What is it?"

"It's a game where one person is dared to kiss another person, but the person they kiss; well they have to make sure that the person being kissed never forgets about it." He thought for a second then added, "They also want to make sure that no one else forgets either." Seamus' eyes glowed brightly as he stated the rules of the famous Wizard game.

"So basically, you have to humiliate someone?" Harry asked, annoyed and disgusted at the thought.

"Yep, the Slytherin house is famous for the game."

"It sounds childish." Hermione sniffed.

Dean and Seamus shrugged, while Neville looked a bit pale.

"So the Slytherins are going to be playing this game?" Harry asked, looking at the others.

They nodded.

"They had better not come on to any Gryffindors." Ron growled as he stabbed at his salmon steak. Dean and Harry, sitting on each side of him edged away just a wee bit more…

"Calm down Ron," Ginny soothed, "it's unlikely that they would come to a Gryffindor." Little did she know; that comment was far from the truth…

 

* * *

 

 

Harry was sitting in Aura's room, crossed-legged on her bed. Aura was searching for a book while Harry played with the hem of his shirt.

"You should have come earlier, Harry." Aura clucked. "Your mother had the same problem. It nearly drove her crazy."

"Did you go to school with my mum?" Harry had never voiced the question before although it had occurred to him before.

"I was three years below her, but I knew I was a Harpy long before she did." Aura straightened and handed Harry a book. "We Harpies use the same charm that Veela's use to stop people being attracted to them, although I've never heard of a Veela using it."

Harry took the book and began to thumb through it while Aura sat by his side.

"I heard about the 'Slytherin games'." Aura smirked, running a hand through her hair.

"Did they play these 'games' while you were here at Hogwarts?" Harry was feeling nervous; he wasn't exactly liked in the Slytherin house so there was no denying they would try something on him.

"Yes, if memory serves correctly, they tried something on Lily. Fortunately for her, Sirius and James were on hand." Her smile became tight at the mention of Harry's deceased Godfather.

Harry forced the thought away, trying to concentrate on anything but Sirius. "I should go. It is almost curfew. Thanks for the book." Harry gave Aura a hug before leaving with the book tucked under his arm.

The corridors were empty and Harry strolled leisurely towards the common room. He looked down at the book, opened it, and began to flick through it.

"Harry!"

He looked up at the sound of his name being hissed and saw Ginny hiding in the shadows. He walked over to the youngest Weasley and with a voice filled with confusion asked, "Gin, what are you doing?"

The red-head glared as she looked around but kept her voice down. "Hiding! Crabbe has been chasing me around trying to give me the 'cold-kiss'." As she explained what was happening she eased them both into an empty classroom. "I was trying to get to the common room before curfew when I heard Crabbe bullying a second year just outside the Library. He was trying to get Mackelby to tell him where I was."

"If this wasn't so disturbing it would be rather amusing." Harry commented. He quickly changed his mind when she punched him on the arm. "OOF! OK I take it back, sorry."

"So you should be!" Ginny grinned. She pressed her ear to the door. "You wouldn't happen to have your invisibility cloak with you, would you?"

"Nope. Sorry." Harry sighed. He leaned against a desk and sighed. "So do you plan to keep me a prisoner here all night, or do you have a cunning plan which involves me, but I don't know about yet?"

Ginny glared at him again and shook her head. "Would it be too much for you to just wait with me until Crabbe leaves this part of the castle and we can make a break for Gryffindor tower? That's all I'm asking, OK?"

Harry shook his head at her plan and mumbled, "Just until Crabbe leaves." He went over to the door and opened it quietly to look out. The painting titled "Flight of the Trolls" graced the wall across from him and he snorted in disgust. "Ginny, we're two floors under the common room. How would we possibly know if Crabbe is still up there?"

Ginny's face acquired a slightly pink tint as this was pointed out. "Oh…"

Harry shook his head. "Ginny, you don't have a plan on how to get past him, you don't know where he is, and we are really a long way from our common room and it is getting late. Do you have a plan on how to get back safely or not?"

She growled with frustration. "I didn't really plan on having some giant-oaf chasing after me, did I? Why would I have a contingency plan?"

Harry decided to keep his mouth shut. He had closed the door before speaking to her the first time. Now he just shrugged his shoulders wearily and transfigured a desk into an overstuffed ottoman and sank wearily into it.

A few minutes later, Ginny seemed to have calmed down enough that she came to sit beside Harry. "What's with the book?" She nodded to the open book that Harry once more seemed almost buried in.

"It's just…a book from Professor LeRoy."

"Harpy-stuff?" Ginny didn't have to ask as she already knew the answer, but Harry nodded all the same.

"Yea. I'm looking for a charm to decrease my allure. I don't want everyone getting all strange on me every time I am around people. Nothing will stop my allure, but Aura says dampening it will keep everyone but my mate from wanting me."

Ginny sat quietly as Harry fidgeted and mumbled to himself for a good five minutes. "Did you find what you needed, or are you waiting for me to take you to Madame Pomphrey for some nerve tonic?" She

didn't know whether to be frustrated at his inability to show concern for their…correction- HER- plight, or amusement that he thought he had it worse.

He finally looked up at her when he recognized the 'Molly-irritated-Weasley' tone. "Sorry, Gin. Aura told me which charm would work and I was trying to make sure I understood it completely before I performed it. It's actually going to be quite difficult."

"If you need any help, I'm here." Ginny smiled, offering her support.

"Thanks. I don't think you will be able to help though. The spell is not really complicated; it will just require a lot of power."

"Well, being a Harpy, you should have more power than a normal wizard, don't you?"

"Theoretically, yes. I do have several powers that a regular wizard doesn't have." As he spoke he cocked his head to the side then began giggling.

"What now?"

"I was just remembering that one of the benefits of being a Harpy. Come on!"

"Harry, what are you-?" But Ginny didn't get a chance to finish asking her question before Harry pulled her out of the classroom and started dragging her down the hall with him.

He decided to answer her before she got too angry. "Harpy's have long sight. That means I'll be able to spot Crabbe from down the hall." As he spoke he reached their floor and paused to duck into an empty alcove to look around.

Ginny crouched beside him, catching her breath. "And you didn't tell me this before, why?"

"I kind of forgot." Harry whispered sheepishly.

Ginny rolled her eyes and snorted. She finally asked, ""Well is he here or not?"

Harry peered down the hall. At first all he could see was a few feet in front of him, but suddenly his Harpy-self kicked in, and he saw his vision stretch to the far end of the hall. He saw the residue of magic swirling around, but there was no trace of the Slytherin goon. "He's not here." He blinked and turned back to the young redhead.

"Phew." She let out a breath and moved from the hiding spot. "Well, come on then, I'm tired." She pulled him down the hall to the picture of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" The Fat Lady demanded in a bored tone while inspecting her pink nails. Her voice implied that Ginny wasn't welcome.

"PIckledpurpleprunes." Harry snapped.

The Fat Lady glanced up and when she heard Harry's voice. At the sight of him her eyes brightened and a love-sick expression passed over her plump face.

Harry gulped.

Ginny snarled, "Open up you old tart or I am going to report this to Headmaster Dumbledore."

The portrait huffed and mumbled something about rude children, but it swung open.

Ginny hurriedly pushed Harry through then crawled through also.

"Thanks Gin." Harry sighed.

"No problem." Ginny flashed him a bright smile.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Harry, being the Quidditch captain, organized a training session. He needed to see where the team was at before he could start picking replacement members.

They were halfway through training when Ginny flew up beside Harry. "We've got company." She pointed down the stands were a bunch of Slytherins had made themselves comfortable.

"OK, training is over." Harry yelled. The Gryffindors nodded and flew down, heading for the lockers.

Ron threw the Slytherins a dirty look and stalked off, Ginny and Harry leisurely trailed behind him.

"Stupid Slytherins, I bet they were there to see what we were doing."

Ron ranted, drying his wet hair with a towel.

Harry rolled his eyes behind his friend's back while securing the towel around his waist. "Whatever they were doing, they didn't get to do much of." He finally said, hoping Ron would just shut up. Reaching in his locker, he groaned as he pulled out fresh clothes…

He hadn't paid attention to what he had thrown into his bag that morning and was now wishing he had. He was holding a pair of lycra biking shorts and a black sleeveless muscle shirt.

"You ready, Mate?" Ron asked as he turned around and saw Harry frowning at his clothes. "Harry?"

"Oh, sorry, you go ahead. I'll catch up." Harry had a bad feeling about the clothes, but decided to go ahead and put them on. They would be hidden under his robes.

"You sure?" Ron asked uncertainly.

"Yeah." Harry nodded, automatically hiding the clothes from his friend's view. Once the door closed behind the red-head's back, Harry slumped down on a bench.

He honestly didn't remember packing these in his bag; he couldn't actually remember ever having seen them before. Maybe loosing his mind was part of being a Harpy. There was no way he wanted to wear these clothes, they did not feel right. But, he had no choice. They were the only clothes in his bag.

After much frowning in annoyance, Harry pulled the shorts on and was about to pull his shirt on when he heard the door open. Harry looked over his shoulder, thinking it to be one of his housemates coming to collect something they'd forgotten.

He stood frozen to the spot. "Zabini?" Harry felt very exposed as the Slytherin coolly lent against the door frame, slowly looking Harry up and down.

"Potter…" Zabini's voice sounded husky and it immediately sent the message to Harry 'Be afraid. Be very afraid."

Harry's first thought was 'why didn't I use the charm first thing this morning?' The book lay open on his bedside table and as of right now was officially useless…

Zabini was moving closer now, a hungry look in his cold eyes.

Harry shivered and moved back, but hit his locker painfully. "W-what do you want?" Harry glanced at the door and saw to his horror that Zabini blocked it from his view.

Zabini's thin tanned face was close to Harry's now. The other boy was near enough that Harry could feel his hot breath and smell his expensive cologne.

The images that Zabini invoked made Harry ill and he quickly turned his face away. His Harpy-self began screeching in rage that the Slytherin in his face was most definitely NOT his mate.

Just as Harry's instincts commanded him to fight, lips smashed down on his and pressed a bruising kiss on him. Harry began struggling wildly against the other boy, willing his tears at bay, and trying to regain control of the Harpy who demanded that he kill the thing trying to desecrate him. All of the emotions swamping him kept screaming that everything was all wrong; Zabini wasn't his mate, and only his mate could touch him like this…

Suddenly Harry felt something smooth and cold press against his exposed stomach and he felt the jerk at his navel that meant only one thing… a portkey.

When the dizzy spell left him Harry blinked and fixed his glasses, when he caught sight of his surroundings he wished he were dreaming. He immediately found it difficult to breathe as terror swamped him. He was standing in the Great Hall, wearing only a pair of shorts while everyone stared at him with lust filled eyes…

As he looked helplessly around he froze to the spot. His heart pounding so fast it almost burst through his chest. Within seconds the silence was broken by people beginning to moan as they started to push their chairs back in order to stand up. He was shaking and could feel sweat trickling down his cheek; NO, not sweat, but a single salty tear made its way down his shattered looking face.

"Harry." A cloak was thrown over his back and he was dragged from the hall.

He could smell Aura's scent as he was dragged up the stairs. Everything swirled around him, reminding him of after the Tri-Wizard tournament, when he took hold of the cup in the maze, the one that took the life of C…

'Don't think about that!' He whimpered despairingly to himself.

"Sit!" Aura snapped at him as she forced him into a chair. A second later she handed him a cup of steaming tea with lots of sugar in it. "Explain." Her voice held none of her emotions, but Harry could see the disappointment in her beautiful eyes. Her tone of voice stated that she was not impressed.

"It was Zabini. He came into the Gryffindor's locker room and he kissed me…" Harry didn't realize he was shaking and crying as he relived the horrifying moments of the other boy defiling him with his filthy touch. He could still see the hungry look in Zabini's eyes and he knew that if he had the chance the other boy would have gone much farther than a kiss…

"Zabini isn't your mate." It was a statement, not a question. But, Harry nodded all the same. "Maybe I haven't explained this properly Harry, but only your mate is allowed to touch you; no one else.

Harry was scared of this side of Aura. She was fuming and none too pleased. The young Harpy had had enough. "It isn't like I asked him to kiss me! He came onto me." Harry shook as he yelled at his elder Harpy. "It took everything I had in me not to kill him. Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to rip out his heart and eat it for daring to touch me?"

Aura flinched at his outburst and shook her head. The burning anger in his eyes told her that he was telling the truth. "Go to your room and change, we'll talk later." She retreated to her private quarters and left Harry in the DADA classroom, staring after her.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More comments and kudos and I will make sure to keep posting.  
> Lots of love  
> amsuter13


	8. Chapter 8: Sweet Denial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If "Plan A" didn't work the alphabet has 25 more letters. Stay cool.

Chapter 8: Sweet Denial

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

 

* * *

 

In truth Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince, the heir of the Malfoy line, did not hate Harry Potter. In fact he loved him.

It had started in fourth year when Harry had appeared out of the maze dragging Cedric Diggory's body. At that moment Draco's heart stopped and he realized with a jolt that he was falling for the Wizarding World's Savior.

Draco had tried to deny his attraction to the smaller teen, but he just couldn't. Whenever he was around Potter, he felt his heart lift and his breath catch in his throat.

But, he could never be with Harry. Harry was a Gryffindor, and destined to defeat Voldemort. Draco was a Slytherin; son of a Death Eater, and was expected to become a Death Eater. So, it was with a heavy heart that he denied his interest in Harry and turned a blind eye to just how gorgeous the boy really was.

That plan had worked all last year. This year seemed to be going differently. This year, Draco could barely control himself around the Gryffindor and on several occasions was even tempted to jump him. Controlling himself when his hormones told him something different was causing his patience to wear thin.

To add to his frustration, the rest of the school seemed to be having similar feelings about Harry. He glared with angry eyes as they all stared at the boy any time he walked past.

Draco felt the cold stab of jealousy and had to control himself from lashing out. Like right now he was using all of his vaunted Malfoy self-control as he listened to Blaise reveal to the rest of Slytherin house the details of what had happened between Harry and himself in the Locker room.

"No way!" Pansy cackled; sounding like the deranged cat she was. "That was priceless!"

The others snickered and congratulated Blaise while Draco sat in the corner, seething as he read, keeping his mind confused and not on lashing out and killing his ex-best-friend.

Blaise hadn't noticed anything wrong. "That had to be the best game of 'Cold Kiss' I've ever played."

Nott smirked as he sat down beside Draco. "What do you think, Draco?"

Draco tried to remain calm. "I suppose it could be said." His voice was icy and he gripped his book tightly.

Nott noticed both the hands and the grip on the book. He gave Draco a funny look and decided to leave on the pretext of going to the Library with Daphne and Millie.

Blaise was still bragging about his success. "I want to play again. That was just way too cool! I definitely won this round of 'Cold Kiss'.

The sound of Blaise's voice had Draco almost in a frenzy. His knuckles were glowing white and he was barely resisting the urge to growl like some wild animal, a thing which Malfoys do not do. He decided to get out before he murdered the stupid Italian. "I'm going to the Library." He abruptly stood up and started looking for his bag.

Draco's uncharacteristic display of bad temper in the common room startled Blaise. "What is up with you, Draco?" He demanded, standing as well. "You have been acting strangely ever since we got back to school."

Draco's eyes flashed molten silver and he looked much like the dragon he had been named after. "Me? What about the rest of this bloody school? Everyone has suddenly become obsessed with fucking-Harry-bloody-Potter!" He spat. He flinched as he cursed the Gryffindor's name, but right now he was not about to admit his feelings.

The common room was deadly quiet as Draco turned on his heel and marched from the room, his cloak billowing behind him. The Slytherins who were there to overhear his outburst all had various thoughts on the subject; no one managed to arrive at the correct conclusion yet.

 

* * *

 

 

The Library was quiet and deserted on that warm Sunday afternoon. Harry was sitting at a back table, hidden by a row of books that looked to have been untouched for at least a century. He was quietly reading Every Dead Thing while trying hard to forget what had happened. He was busy, absorbed in reading and didn't notice the approach of anyone.

Draco stopped when he noticed that his usual table was occupied by none other than Harry Potter. He felt the same flutter of stomach muscles and the giddy feeling he got whenever he was around the smaller boy. He thought about approaching the boy, but saw that he was absorbed in his muggle novel. He turned and disappeared back into the stacks just as Harry raised his head and looked at the spot where Draco had just been standing.

Harry cursed silently as he looked up. His Harpy self was getting all happy and that could only mean one thing; his mate was around. He was on edge the rest of the afternoon and never managed to sink back into the book like he had before his Harpy sense woke up.

When Harry gently knocked on the door of the DADA classroom later that night it was opened by a distressed looking Aura. "Harry…" She stood aside and he walked past her into the room.

The two stood awkwardly for a moment before they both blurted out, "I'm sorry!"

They lapsed back into silence and stared at each other in a tense silence. Finally, Aura broke it with a heavy sigh. "I should have explained the prospect of the mates clearer. If a Harpy sleeps with another who isn't their mate, their mate will lose all desire for them and then they will both die.

Harry stayed silent. There was really nothing he could say regarding more critical information that he did not know. Only he should have known; he should have read the book before he got to Hogwarts. He cursed himself.

"I didn't know." Harry sat down on one of the desks.

Aura sat across from him and gave him a small smile of reassurance. "Your mother didn't know either. She almost blew it all." Aura sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "We are bonded by our mates; it is how it has always been. But…" Aura looked into Harry's emerald-green eyes and smirked slightly. "We have the real power."

Harry smiled.

They carried on, differences and misunderstandings settled.

 

* * *

 

 

When it became dark and the lamps were lit, Harry sat on his bed and read the Harpy book. He soaked in the information and mulled everything over in his head. He was reading over the chapter on Harpy mates and became slightly annoyed to learn that the mate dominated the Harpy almost completely. He turned the page and continued to read.

 

* * *

 

 

When a Harpy comes of age, usually on her sixteenth birthday, she will feel the need to begin searching for her mate. While she searches for her mate, she will project a strong allure, much like that which a Veela projects. Sometimes the Harpy will try to reach her mate through dreams; some will see who their mate is fully while others will only catch glimpses of her heart's desire. Dreams will only come to a Harpy while she searches for her mate. After the mate is found, the dreams will cease.

 

* * *

 

 

"Dreams…" Harry murmured as he ran a delicate finger down the page. He remembered the blond man and shivered. There was only one blond man he… He shivered as memories of his dreams replayed themselves. Within a few seconds heat rose on his cheeks and he shut the book with a snap.

Unable to continue reading as the dreams distracted him, he placed his glasses and book on his bedside table and curled up. Soon he was lost in recalling a dream:

 

* * *

 

 

He was wandering around a small field of green grass. There was no sun but it was bright; so bright that Harry could barely see.

"Daddy…" Harry spun around but saw nothing. "Daddy, come play with me!"

Harry was running, the voice was everywhere, it washed over the field. In his dream, Harry seemed to run for miles, searching the ever expanding field. He finally screamed, "Where are you?" But in the dream his voice was so low he could barely hear himself.

"Daddy!" The voice which belonged to a small girl was giggling now. The giggle was echoing loudly in his mind confusing him on the direction he needed to turn to.

"Where are you?" Harry whispered and the wind carried the sound away somewhere behind him.

"Daddy!" Suddenly something appeared in front of Harry. He skidded to a stop and slowly approached. A small girl, her back to Harry, was watching something. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders and she wore a white dress.

Harry looked over her small shoulder and saw what she was looking at. The blond man from his dream was sitting in front of her, holding a white blanket to his chest and talking to it softly.

"Daddy, you're finally

here." The girl's voice echoed from afar, but Harry experienced the sensation of her embracing him, hugging him around his middle.

"Here for what?" Harry whispered to her.

 

* * *

 

 

"Harry!"

Harry's eyes snapped open and through his blurry vision he could make out his dorm mates.

"Harry, are you OK, Mate?" Ron asked. His freckled face was blurry but the concern was apparent. "You were thrashing around a lot."

"I- I'm fine." Harry wiped the sweat from his forehead with his flannel pyjama sleeve.

"If you're sure…" Ron hesitantly pulled away and so did the others.

Harry gave them a shaky smile and laid back down in the darkness after whispering, "Thanks, guys. I really am OK. It was just a dream." He lay there the rest of the night, thinking about the dream, replaying it in his mind until the room was flooded with sunlight.

He wasn't finished mulling over the dream; the small girl and the blond man holding the blanketed bundle. He shivered and rolled over until his back was blocking the sun and his face was buried in the pillows. The dream was strange and somehow so enticing that he wanted to dream it a hundred more times…

His thoughts eventually returned to the Harpy book. 'Maybe they are my mate and child?' Harry considered the idea and smiled to himself.

"Harry, you need to get up." Ron was yanking the covers off with one hand and handing him his glasses with the other. "Get up, you lazy git! Everyone else is already downstairs and Hermione said she would come up here if she had to."

Harry scrambled.

Ginny and Hermione were seated on the couch in the common room, waiting for the boys.

"Finally!" Ginny grinned.

He glared at her in a non-threatening way as she nodded approval of his wardrobe. He was wearing a simple, long-sleeved black shirt with tight black jeans to match. His school robes were open over them.

Hermione's cough had him turning to her. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

She nodded slightly to point to the people eying him and indicated that he should button up his robe.

Harry nodded uneasily at the staring Gryffindors and quickly buttoned up the robe. Aura had promised to help him with the charm that afternoon. He was about ready to hide in his dorm until then, the lusty looks were beginning to wear on his nerves after the 'cold kiss' incident.

"So, what does everyone have this morning?" Ginny asked as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Double Potions." Ron moaned. "I swear that Snape is out to get us this year."

"He's out to get us every year." Harry chipped in cheerfully.

Everyone looked at him strangely, but only Ron responded. "I suppose you are right." In his best 'woe is me' voice.

"Really you two!" Hermione scolded.

"Ginny." A group of girls called the younger red-head over.

"Coming." Ginny called. "Bye, guys." She went to join them.

"Come on, I'm starving." Ron complained.

Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

The Slytherins were eating breakfast in a subdued atmosphere. Most of them were watching Draco warily as he sat in his usual spot looking cool and calm as ever. Blaise sat across from him and observed him anxiously. He was half worried that Draco would snap again.

Draco ignored the looks and the talk. He was used to the Slytherins talking among themselves and casting unreadable looks in his direction. He wasn't about to admit that they were creeping him out so he rose and left the hall swiftly.

He was proud of the fact that he only cast one searching glance toward the Gryffindor table where the boy he had fallen for was sitting. Draco felt himself calm down as he saw that the mudblood and the weasel were flanking him. It was time to head for the dungeons, it was still too early for class, but he could lean against the Potions class room door with his bag at his feet and relax as his mind drifted to the personification of perfection; Harry Potter.

Draco shivered; the boy was so beautiful, so… perfect and loveable. He was more in-love with the boy than ever. He had changed so much, and it was all for the better.

He was torn from his thoughts when he heard the sound of the other students approaching. Draco's eyes went immediately to the small boy in the middle of the group. He was just getting ready to speak when he was caught in an unprovoked attack.

"DRACO!"

Draco had no time to react before Pansy jumped on him, pushing him against the door.

"Parkinson, you freak! Get off!" Draco growled lowly.

Pansy didn't hear him as she started squealing. "DRACOOOOOOO I didn't see you at BREAKFAST!"

"That was because I was avoiding you." Draco hissed.

Pansy was about to get even louder when she was cut off. "Miss Parkinson, please detach yourself from Mr. Malfoy this instant and come in immediately before I remove house points for your undignified behaviour." Snape's cold voice hissed.

Pansy reluctantly released Draco from her clutches then turned and smirked at the Gryffindors who were finding the situation highly amusing.

Draco hissed angrily as he grabbed up his bag and stomped into the room. He slammed the bag down so that she couldn't sit with him at the front of the classroom. He didn't want to admit that Pansy embarrassed him, and Ron snickering while Hermione directed disapproving scowls didn't help any. The only reason he wasn't hexing anyone was because Harry was completely ignoring him while searching through his bag for something.

 

* * *

 

 

Secretly Harry had been almost hurt at the way Pansy was hugging Draco, but he pushed it aside as nothing and followed Ron and Hermione to their usual seats toward the back of the room.

As always the class eyed Harry as he sat between his two best friends and took out his book and quill. It didn't help that Snape noticed his predicament and decided to exploit it.

Snape's mood did not improve as the class started. His cold glare was enough to lower the temperature of the classroom to freezing, and his voice finished the room in a thin veneer of ice.

Harry wasn't any too happy with the double period and even less so when Snape decided to give one of his 'special' assignments. The students would be assigned a partner and the pair of them would be responsible for a potions essay.

"Oh great." Ron growled.

"Parkinson and Weasley. Nott and Granger. Crabbe and Longbottom. Goyle and Thompson. Malfoy and Potter."

'WHAT!' Harry's mind screamed.

"The essay is simple. Choose a potion from this list which I," and as he spoke he pointed his wand at the board and murmured a string of words in Latin which caused the board to be covered with the names of different potions, "have taken the time to assemble for you." He sneered at the Gryffindors as he added, "If there are any other potions which you would rather research, please be kind enough to get my approval before doing so."

When the Gryffindors refused to be baited, he continued. "I want four rolls of parchment on the essay. I will expect both partners to contribute significantly." Here he turned and smiled at Malfoy before continuing. "You may use the rest of this class period to begin planning your essay. It will be due next Thursday."

Harry packed up his things slowly, delaying the time to get to Malfoy. He left Ron with an annoyed Parkinson and headed toward his partner who was sitting alone at the front of the classroom seemingly oblivious to the silent chaos around him.

"Malfoy." Harry acknowledged as he quietly slipped into the seat that Zabini had just deserted. The usual iciness of his tone was lost, and he betrayed his nervousness.

"Potter." Draco's tone was normal, but he didn't look up from whatever it was he was writing in his book.

Harry fidgeted for a few seconds before placing his bag at his feet. Draco continued to write so he waited quietly until the other boy was ready to speak. He took the time to read what was written on the board and realized to his horror that he did not recognize any of the potions they were supposed to be choosing from.

Eventually Draco spoke. "So what do you want to do the essay on?" He still hadn't raised his head. He was fighting the allure of the other boy and was having Mordred's own time of it trying to keep his eyes (and his hands, and his lips…) off him.

"Uh…I'm not sure. I'm not so good with potions…" Harry half expected Malfoy to make some snide comment.

"Hmm…" He didn't sound like he'd even heard Harry.

So the two sat in silence for a long time before Harry cracked. "Truth is; I don't recognize any of those potions." He hung his head in shame as he whispered, "I even read this whole potions book and none of them are the first bit familiar."

Draco risked a quick look at Harry. The black haired boy's head was hung in dejection and it caught at Draco's heart. It finally occurred to him that the others around them were bickering, if not outright arguing, over their own essays. He looked up at the board and felt his eyebrows disappear into his hair line. Severus really must be pissed off at them if he expected them to research and possibly brew from that list. Most of the potions listed were on the 'dangerous' list, some were even rated in the 'highly volatile' category.

He spent the rest of the time telling Harry what little he knew about the few potions he recognized. They had a list of five possible potions by the time the bell rang. He closed his book and said, "We'll meet tonight at eight in the library."

He left before Harry could answer. Harry chewed his lips as he watched Draco's retreating back. His Harpy self was set on low 'purr' and the rest of his conscious mind was confused as all hell because he had just spent a whole lesson with Draco Malfoy and they had not exchanged one rude comment. Draco had been…well…it was easier to describe Draco as not being as uptight and frigid as usual. He had been pleasant even; relaxed and calm.

Did he just call Malfoy Draco?

'No!' Harry protested. 'Just a small slip, that's all!'

Ahhh sweet Denial

TBC...

 

* * *

 

 

Well there you are. Draco and Harry will be getting closer, (hint, hint)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos=more chapters   
> More inspirational quotes   
> Lots of love  
> amsuter13


	9. Chapter 9: Mum Harpy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try

Chapter 9: Mum Harpy

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

 

* * *

 

Harry flopped gracefully onto the couch and closed his emerald eyes, relaxing against the stuffed cushions. Suddenly a weight fell across his legs causing him to yelp and jump away from a smiling Hermione.

"Yes?" Harry asked grumpily, sulking like a little child.

"I came to see if you were doing any homework." Hermione smiled while using her 'I'm-smart-so-listen-to-me' voice.

"Actually I'm not." Harry hissed then poked his tongue out at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So, when are you starting your project with Malfoy?"

A frown creased Harry's face. "Tonight at eight…"

"Ooohhh sounds like our little boy has a date!" Ginny teased as she wandered over to them and plopped down beside Hermione. "Who is it? Is it your mate?"

"No! It's Malfoy. We were partnered together for an essay project in Potions." Harry growled.

"Malfoy?" Ginny queried in a sulky voice while making a face.

Harry felt his Harpy self growl in anger and knew he needed to get away from the two girls before he lost his temper. "I have to go." He muttered before grabbing his bag and stomping off, not at all understanding why he was upset with Ginny.

Harry wandered around the halls for what seemed ages before finding his way to the Library. After glancing around and seeing only a few students finishing some last minute essays and a table full of Ravenclaws sitting in their corner reading thick books with intense concentration, he decided to enter.

Harry made his way to the back of the Library, his heart racing for no particular reason at all while his Harpy-self purred in anticipation. He pushed the anticipation away and turned the corner to the small hidden table where Draco Malfoy sat writing.

Harry cleared his throat and caught the blond's attention.

"Potter." Draco acknowledged before packing away the book he was writing in.

"So, where do we start?" Harry asked as he pulled out a chair across the table from Draco and sat down.

"We'll choose a potion first." Draco instructed. After pulling out the list of potions they had discussed earlier in class, they settled down to business. They spent some time going over the potions they had to choose from before finally deciding on the 'Soul Binding Potion'. It was a complex potion that would bind two souls together for all eternity.

"This is about the easiest potion on our list." Draco said as he flipped through a thick book, looking for the said potion. "The ingredients are easy enough to get." He looked over at the black haired boy before adding, "The potion is sort of complicated though."

Harry had caught the blond looking at him and lowered his head shyly. He refused to look up and answer Draco; instead, he nodded while playing with the hem of his sleeve. He really was terrible with the whole Potions business.

Draco looked up to see Harry, his head bent, silky fringe falling over his emerald eyes. His breath caught as he thought, 'nobody could possibly look more beautiful'.

The object of his scrutiny was suddenly overwhelmed with unease. Harry's head jerked up and he hit the table, knocking some books onto the carpet and making a 'thud'. He winced.

"Sorry." Harry whispered. He quickly bent down and started gathering them back up.

Draco bent over also, attempting to help. When he did, Harry's hand brushed against his wrist then quickly jerked away.

The friction coursed through Harry's body and his back arched as his wings started to pull through. His shriek of "AAAAHHH!" echoed from one side of the Library to the other as he took off running, pushing past students, and ignoring the angry yelling from the Librarian. He ran straight for the DADA classroom; his wings were coming through fast. By the time he reached Aura, they were almost fully out.

"Harry!" Aura gasped in surprise as Harry dropped to his knees in front of her and his wings burst through. Then, "Harry!" was repeated in an awed voice as the ripped cloth gave way to full fledged Harpy wings spreading out around him like a black cloud.

Harry was panting and could feel sweat roll down his face. He was about to hyperventilate when Aura's cool hand pressed against his cheek, calming him down to the point where he stopped shaking.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

Harry shook his head. He was shivering like ice had been poured over him. He was unable to answer her, he just kept seeing flashes of white; his Harpy self was overly excited, on a happy-high as he purred. Eventually, a low purr escaped Harry's lips, causing Aura to draw back from him.

Her eyes lost the cloud of confusion as she recognized the boy's predicament. "Who did you touch?" She asked quietly.

Harry looked up at her. "Draco Malfoy." He whispered, confused. His

Harpy self went into over-drive as the name escaped his lips.

Aura's lips turned up into a smile. "Well done! You have found your mate, Harry."

Harry's mind went blank. The only think he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears and his ragged breath. His Harpy self purred quietly in the background while everything spun around before his eyes. He couldn't concentrate on anything; all he could think was 'Draco'. The world finally went black and his breathing returned to normal as his purring died away.

 

* * *

 

 

There was the white-light field. Harry spun around and began to relax as he felt the calm of the place soothe him.

"Harry?"

He turned to see who spoke, but no one was there.

"Hello?" He called. He half expected the little girl to be there, her dark curls falling down her back, her voice leading him to the blond man.

"Harry." This time the voice was right beside his ear while a cool hand rested on his shoulder.

He whirled around, wrenching himself away from the person's grasp. When he caught sight of who it was, he fell back in surprise. Standing there in a long white gown, amber wings spread out around her like burning gold and red flames was…

"Mum?" Harry cocked his head in confusion and eyed the Harpy warily.

Lily Potter smiled down at her startled son. Harry noticed little details about her: like the wind tossing her fiery red hair as it fell around her shoulders and how the white roses they were kneeling on did not bend or snap under their combined weights.

"Harry." Her voice was like rich honey.

"You're not real." Harry whispered.

Lily frowned and her hand reached out to stroke his cheek, the lingering touch of a mother long gone. "I am here." She whispered.

"How?" Harry asked. His emerald eyes brimming with tears as he leaned into the touch of her hand.

"You need me. Every young Harpy who comes into their Inheritance needs their mother." She smiled a soft smile that danced on her lips.

"There was this little girl…" Harry trailed off as he looked around.

Lily's smile grew. "You will see her sooner than you think."

Harry gave her a puzzled look, but she waved it away. "You're not happy?" Lily tilted her head, reminding Harry of a child.

The idea amused him. "What's not to be happy about? I mean my rival since First Year is now my mate." He wrinkled his nose in disgust before huffing and lying back in bed of roses.

Lily smiled in amusement this time.

Harry felt his heart warm at being with his mum. Seeing her smile at him was incredible. But, talking to her as if they had never been parted was absolutely the best feeling of all.

"I was the same way once. But, I love James and nothing and no one can ever change that. It will be the same with your mate. No matter what happens you will love him forever."

"But I can't!" Harry exploded. Jumping to his feet, he shouted, "I can't love anyone. When I love someone they are always taken away from me! Sirius. You. Dad. I can't love…" His voice trailed off into harsh gut-wrenching sobs as he dropped to his knees in defeat.

Lily knelt and hugged her distraught son against her chest. The world was starting to fade out; Lily beginning to dim with it. Harry felt her grip on him loosening and panicked. He tried to hold onto his mother. "Don't worry, Harry. I will see you again soon…"

 

* * *

 

 

A cold hand pressed against his forehead. His head felt foggy and his vision blurred by the absence of his glasses. He made a throaty cough which alerted Aura.

"Harry, are you OK?" She brushed aside his bangs in a motherly gesture.

Harry sat up and groaned. "Where are my glasses?" He finally managed to croak. Aura placed them on his nose and his vision cleared. Looking around, he saw that he was once again in Aura's room, a room he was seeing a lot of.

Aura was perched on the edge of the bed, a bowl of cool water and a wash cloth in her lap. From the looks of her, dressed in loose sweat pants and a white shirt, he had disturbed her getting into bed.

Looking down at himself, he noticed that he was wearing a pair of cotton pajamas. "In your room again?" He couldn't stop the small grin that flitted across his face.

Aura teased back. "You do seem to be a regular visitor here. Maybe I should set you up your own room?"

Harry moved into a comfortable position, and suddenly her expression changed to seriousness. "Harry, we need to talk."

Harry ducked his head and groaned softly. "I don't want to. Malfoy can't be my mate. End of story!"

"No, it isn't. Harry, you will die if you do not accept and bond with him. You cannot resist your Harpy self." Aura urged him to be reasonable, her eyes full of seriousness at the situation.

"If this doesn't kill me, Voldemort will!" Harry muttered bitterly.

Aura reached over and grabbed his chin in a gentle grasp. Turning his face toward hers she begged him, "Harry, accept it. Embrace it. Don't try to fight it. It's a losing battle."

Harry jerked his head away. His eyes blazed. "You are one to talk. You have your perfect match while I am stuck with the guy I hate."

"You can't hate him, Harry." Aura yelled back. "He is your reason for all that you do. He completes you in every way. He is your other half. You need him and he needs you."

Harry stared at her, his Harpy self growling at him the whole time for saying such things about Malfoy. He felt his stomach tighten as he thought of the blond. Everything fell into place.

The man in his dreams, the way his Harpy self acted around Malfoy… He must have rammed into Harry earlier, causing his wings to appear. Draco Malfoy was his mate; there was no doubt.

Aura looked embarrassed as she scratched her neck and watched the play of emotions across Harry's face. "Look, I'm sorry for my outburst. It's just…" She made eye contact with him and a hint of a smile flickered across her face. "You're as stubborn as your mother."

Harry smiled, remembering his dream. "Aura, is it possible to be dead and still be able to communicate with someone through dreams?"

Aura blinked and considered what he had asked. "I suppose if the dead person shared a strong enough bond with the living one… Why do you ask?"

"I was talking to my mum in my dreams. She was so real. I could actually feel her touch when she put her hand on me."

Aura watched Harry silently as he battled with himself. Everything just seemed to have fallen onto his shoulders in less than twenty-four hours: a new found mate and a dead mother whom he could communicate with.

"Harry, you need to talk to Draco." Aura pushed lightly.

Harry's agitation became visible. "I can't do that!" He exploded in hysterics, waving his arms around wildly. "It won't be the greatest conversation. "Hey, Malfoy, how are you? Oh and by the way, I'm a Harpy and you are my mate. We have to bond by my seventeenth birthday or we will both die."

"Maybe you should break it a little more gently than that?" Aura smiled at his antics.

"This is not funny!" Harry whined.

Aura was glad that Harry wasn't angry at the return of the topic of conversation. He seemed to be more nervous now that the thought of actually having a mate had sunk in fully.

To keep him distracted until he could accept the idea fully, she switched the subject again. "Are you hungry?" Aura asked as she waved her wand to summon a tray of sweets.

Harry dug into them, happily munching on a chocolate frog while Aura delicately ate a Bertie Bott's all-flavored bean and scrunching up her nose at the flavour of dirt.

"Never trust a Bott's bean." She muttered, throwing the remains of it away and eating the last chocolate frog.

"What's the time?" Harry asked, looking around for the clock.

"About midnight." Aura shrugged casually as she dispatched the last bit of frog with her pointy little incisors and licked the remains of chocolate from her lips in typical Harpy fashion.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes as Harry sorted through the rest of the confections and continued to eat them as fast as he could identify them. Aura watched in fascination as he finished the chocolates and started in on the honey based sweets.

The methodical way he was decimating the contents of the tray had her suddenly remembering something. Attention focused on him, she began speaking. "Harry, in two nights will be a Harpy holiday, I've gotten the week off for you, and it's a week long celebration, loads of fun."

"What's the holiday?"

"The First Creation of Harpies." Aura nodded matter-of-factly. "It is one of those holidays where the Elders pass on the knowledge of creation and the Harpy History; you'll learn everything as you go through the week. You're supposed to attend with your mate, but lots of young Harpies who haven't mated yet attend alone."

"Oh." Harry was imagining what it would be like to bring Draco to a Harpy Celebration. He had a strange thought of Draco attending as a ferret and a crowd of Harpies chasing after him.

"We can talk more about the celebration when it approaches. You will learn loads of Harpy History." As Harry looked at her, she stood and flicked her wand so the lights dimmed down to a soft haze. "Go to sleep. You have classes tomorrow."

Harry rolled over and closed his eyes, a picture of Draco on his mind.

What had he gotten himself into?

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos= another chapter   
> Lots of Love   
> amsuter13


	10. Chapter 10: And He Is…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your mind is a powerful thing when you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change

Chapter 10: And he is…

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

Harry never had been more nervous to tell Ron and Hermione something important since, well, never! He had never been as nervous as he right now, making his way into the Great Hall after another night spent in Aura's room.

Not that you could tell he had been away from his own room; he was wearing freshly pressed robes, skin-tight jeans, and a mint green shirt made of a sexy, clingy material. Now, if he could only feel as good as he looked…

His stomach tightened into almost painful knots as he thought about the conversation he would be having. 'Oh, Ron, Hermione, funniest thing happened last night; I found out that Malfoy is my mate, and I'm expected to be madly in love with him. Isn't that just hilarious?'

Harry groaned as he made his way closer to his house table. A lot of students turned in his direction and whispered furiously amongst themselves. He just ignored it; luckily it was still early so not many students were in the hall, including Malfoy.

His two best friends were seated in their usual spot at Gryffindor table. He noted that they were arguing as usual so he didn't bother to interrupt them, he just sat down beside Hermione and looked across the table at Ron.

"Really, Ron, there was no need to curse him! He had nothing to do with why Harry disappeared!" Hermione had yet to notice Harry's presence as she continued to glare and seethe at the Weasley across from her.

"He did too, Hermione. Did you see the way the git was acting? I bet all the gold I have that Malfoy had everything to do with Harry…" Ron snarled in retaliation as he grabbed blindly for another piece of toast without looking at either her or the toast rack.

Harry finally understood the drift of the conversation and debated whether he should interrupt their quarrel and tell them what happened, or just sit there and wait until they noticed his presence and asked him themselves what had happened.

Knowing how the two loved to argue, Harry opted for the latter. After all, everyone except the two of them realized that they used the arguments as foreplay…

"Just because Malfoy was there, doesn't necessarily mean that he had anything to do with it. Everyone else said they didn't see Malfoy use his wand or physically harm Harry. In fact, Ernie McMillan is claiming that he saw wings sprouting from Harry's back. That does not mean that Malfoy would have something to do with it. It could just mean that," She leaned slightly across the table, "that it was a Harpy thing."

Harry rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. Then couldn't help but smirk when the two of them jumped and spun around.

"Harry! How long have you been here?" Hermione demanded, placing a shaky hand over her wildly beating heart.

"Long enough…" He shook his head in a chastising manner as he reached for some toast that had escaped Ron and began buttering it. He managed to project an air of calm, but underneath, he was a bundle of nerves.

"So…" Hermione trailed off as she fiddled with her knife. "What happened? Last night, I mean."

Harry finished what looked like balancing the contents of the butter dish on his toast before adding some strawberry-rhubarb jam to the pile and taking a delicate bite of it. The silence stretched between the three of them as the two horrified friends watched the small, black-haired creature eat the equivalent of a stick of butter, a quarter cup of jam, and a piece of toast all in a few bites.

After cleaning his fingers cat-style, he turned to his attention back to his two friends. "You are both moderately correct." Then with no further explanation, his attention returned to breakfast as he eyed a stack of kippers appreciatively.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked. When no answer was immediately forthcoming from Harry, he turned to Hermione for help and noticed that she was just as clueless.

"It was a Harpy thing." Harry whispered as he leaned close to Hermione to reach the kippers that he finally decided he had to have.

Hermione smirked proudly at Ron, and then blinked in surprise as he added, "But, Malfoy had something to do with it also."

This time Ron grinned for a second before his face turned an ugly shade of red and his temper flared. "What did he do?"

Harry began playing with his kipper, slicing it in neat little sections with his pointy fingernails, and popping bits into his mouth to avoid answering.

Hermione snatched the dish away from him and snarled, "Explain!"

Sighing in disgust, he reached for his pumpkin juice then gave a happy smile as he noticed his goblet contained buttermilk instead of pumpkin juice. After sipping it approvingly, and managing to get both of them irritated at him, he decided to explain. "Last night I went to meet Malfoy in the Library to work on our Potions Project."

Ron and Hermione both nodded, knowing this half of the story.

"We were researching a potion when I knocked over some books. We both bent down to pick them up and my hand brushed against his wrist. The touch of skin against skin activated my wings…" Harry finished speaking in barely more than a whisper.

The silence that greeted him had him twitching. He finally looked them in the eyes. "Malfoy is my mate."

Hermione gasped then got this peculiar, but pleased, look on her face. Ron went whiter than Malfoy's hair and crumpled face forward into his plate of eggs and hash browns. The rest of the breakfast crowd trained their eyes on the ensuing chaos at the Gryffindor table, trying to see what made Ron faint.

There were some loud snickers from the Slytherin table, mainly Zabini and Parkinson, after Crabbe punched Goyle on the arm and made the comment that Weasley wasn't really out cold, he was just trying to eat faster than they did.

Draco still had not entered the Great Hall.

Harry jumped to help Hermione and some of the other Gryffindors revive the unconscious Ron. When they finally got him to open his eyes, Ron took one look at Harry, moaned pitifully, and collapsed again.

"Really!" Hermione growled. "How immature can he get?"

Dean gave her a horrified look, still not knowing what happened to his comrade-in-arms, and whined, "Please, Hermione, don't ever ask that question again. You'll jinx us all."

She stomped her foot and glared at the helpless Ronald. To keep her from hurting him while he was totally defenseless, Harry decided to sidetrack her. "So, you don't mind?"

As Hermione turned her gaze onto the Harpy, he made a quick motion for Dean and Seamus to take the body away. She looked him over thoroughly and nodded in a rather satisfied way. "I suppose we should follow those two idiots to make sure they take him to the infirmary."

"Herms, they have been to the infirmary loads of times. Ron is in good hands."

"Yes, but they aren't the most capable, aren't they?" She began leading him to the infirmary, snarling as she heard Dean say, "OOPS! Didn't mean to bang his head on that wall so hard; levitating is harder than it looks."

Harry couldn't help his insecurities. "Hermione, really, it is OK with you that he is… you know…"

Hermione gave him one of her sisterly smiles. "Harry, I don't care who your mate is, as long as you are happy."

Harry's head dropped and he felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders again. "That's the thing, Hermione. I don't know if I'm happy."

Hermione stopped, causing Harry to stop too. Before he could ask what was wrong, she had wrapped him in a hug. He returned the warm embrace before letting her pull away.

"You will be fine, Harry. Ron, Ginny, and I will be here with you through the whole thing. Whatever happens…" She sealed the promise with an innocent kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mione." They continued on before Harry spoke again. "I am going to some Harpy Holiday celebration with Aura. I think she said it was Creation of the Harpies, or something like that."

"Really! It sounds fun." Hermione grinned, linking arms with the small teen.

"Yes, it goes on for a week. So I will get the whole week off school.

They opened the infirmary door just in time to see Madame Pomphrey 'Ennervate' Ron. "Mr. Weasley, can you hear me?" She asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

Ron's lashes fluttered a few times before he managed to open his eyes. His mouth opened at the same time and a disjointed sentence about spiders and horrible life of Malfoy had everyone grinning. Harry and Hermione exchanged eye-rolls before joining Ron by his bedside.

"How do you feel?" Hermione asked.

"Malfoy…don't…not living…hate spiders…" Ron shook his head as the potion finally kicked in. "Tell me it was all a joke."

"I wish it were, Ron, but there is no way out of it. Well, except death on my seventeenth birthday, that should make it a happy one." Harry muttered sarcastically.

Ron smirked as he had a Monty Python moment. "Malfoy or Death, Malfoy or Death, Hummm?" Then he groaned and whined, "I don't actually have to be civilized around Malfoy do I?"

"You don't have to." Harry promised. Then turning to Hermione said, "Beside, he wouldn't know civilized if it chewed off one of his legs and used it to beat him over the head, would he?"

Hermione's laughter rang out as she dragged Harry away from the invalid. "Come on, Harry, we need to get to Potions Class." Then she added as she stuck her head back inside the door, "We will come see you at lunch, OK?"

Ron nodded his goodbyes and Hermione and Harry left to Potions.

Of course Snape wasn't in a good mood. He ordered that everyone list three facts about their chosen potion and Harry panicked. He couldn't remember anything about the potion; finding out Malfoy was his mate had made him forget most things.

"Longbottom! Your potion and three facts!" Snape snapped, making poor Neville jump and stutter. "Hurry up, Longbottom. I don't have time for your mindless babble."

Harry sank down into his chair and prayed to whoever was listening that Snape would just ignore him. But, alas, whichever God was on duty this day was not pandering to poor little Harry Potter. He would just have to save himself.

"Potter?" Harry was surprised it didn't sound that cold.

"I kind of…didn't learn my potion well." Harry's eyes darted up at Snape and realization hit him hard. He, Harry, is a Harpy. Harpies have an allure that attracts anyone to them. He could use this to his advantage, even if it was, shudder, Snape. Harry bit his lip in a cute pout and made himself do an adorable 'awww' bashful look.

Snape folded like a stack of cards on a breezy day. "Just study harder next time." Snape moved away to his next victim.

Harry supposed everyone would be shell shocked at that moment if it wasn't for the fact that his allure attracted them as well. The whole class was openly giving him lustful looks. Even Neville was eying him like Hedwig did field mice…that scared Harry.

Hermione was the only one who wasn't affected. She gave Harry a wink before frowning slightly at something behind him, and returning to her essay.

Harry thought for a second. 'Draco is the only thing behind me.' His eyes drifted in Draco's direction. The blond was writing furiously, as usual, and was trying to give the impression that he was paying little attention to the class, but there was a pink tinge to his skin that wasn't usually there.

Harry felt a stab of cold hurt that Draco wasn't showing at least a small hint of interest in him. When he caught up with his drifting thoughts, he mentally slapped himself. This was Draco Malfoy he was talking about; his worst enemy since the train ride in First Year.

When class was over, Hermione led the way to Transfiguration. Harry was following along behind her, holding his stack of books under one arm, and thinking of the effect his allure had.

He was capable of controlling nearly everyone; if he used it to his advantage he could get anything. But, Harry couldn't see himself doing such a thing. The allure was a way to attract his mate, not to control and manipulate people.

He was so wrapped up in his own little world that he failed to notice that he was heading straight into someone else. The other person swerved slightly, but still managed to clip Harry's shoulder. The touch surprised Harry so badly that he dropped his books and spilled them all over the ground.

"Watch…" The person's words died on his lips as he caught sight of Harry's face.

Harry looked up into silver-grey eyes that belonged to none other than the one-and-only, Draco Malfoy. His Harpy self purred and meowed in delight. His stomach fluttered and he felt light headed. "Sorry." He intended to mutter but it came out as more of a sultry slur.

Draco's face took on the pink tinge again as he bent down and scooped up the dropped books, handing them back to Harry, whose pale cheeks were tinted a soft pink.

Draco swallowed lightly then forced himself to speak calmly. "We should meet again soon to finish our Potions Essay. Can you spare some time today? I want to get it done soon so we can start gathering the materials for brewing."

Harry smiled tentatively and nodded an affirmative. "Yes, I can meet you in the Library at eight tonight if you like."

Draco's hand came up and brushed a few strands of hair away from Harry's eyes before regaining his composure. "Good."

Was all he managed before Harry side-stepped him and quickly hurried off to where Hermione was waiting, grinning widely.

"Don't say a word!" Harry hissed.

"Say a word about what?" Hermione giggled.

"Nothing!" Then he ruined the whole angry scene thing by giving a contented little moan and asking, "Do you think he bumped into me on purpose?"

 

* * *

 

 

Harry had been fiddling with his clothes for hours. He had changed outfits three times and had a war with his hair to get it untangled. Now that he knew Draco was his mate he felt all the more nervous around him, like he needed to impress him or something.

He yanked off the form fitting blue shirt he had on before pulling on a long sleeved navy one. He rummaged through the drawer for a minute before pulling out a white, short sleeved shirt that sported the muggle band Nickelback logo. Deeming the clothes acceptable, he moved on to doing his hair again but the brush kept snagging in the silky mess and he finally tugged it away and threw it across the room before sitting down on the bed and pouting.

"Harry, are you ready yet?" Hermione asked, coming into the room. She was still in her school robes and immediately began smiling at the disconcerted face of her best friend.

"Yeah." Harry grabbed his jacket, a leather one with a design of a flying dragon on the back, and followed her down to the common room.

Everyone's attention turned to the young Harpy, who was beginning to panic. "I'll see you later then." He said quickly before climbing through the portal.

As he walked toward the Library, he couldn't help tugging at his shirt and fiddling with the hem of his jacket. Finally, the library loomed into view and Harry squared his shoulders.

Draco was once again at the table he used on a regular basis. Books were spread out to use and he had already started on the essay while waiting. He glanced up at Harry as he sat down across from him.

Harry smiled tentatively and asked, "What would you like me to do?"

Draco's imagination, never far from the surface, immediately began proposing scenarios. He never lost his composure though as he nudged a book toward the black haired teen. "Look for the ingredients used. The directions should be in that book."

Harry gingerly picked it up. It was a tattered, thin book that looked like it would fall apart in your hands. He gently flipped through the pages looking for the ingredients, and began writing them down as he read the directions aloud.

The soul bidding potion requires the following ingredients:

Unicorn hair; two strands, eye of newt; one, fresh ravens' blood; four drops, dragon scales; three, and two drops of blood from each soul.

Harry finished writing them down and sat back in his chair, chewing on his quill while thinking about the ingredients. It didn't seem like much for a potion that was so important like that. It wasn't until he read the brewing instructions that he understood the complexity of the potion.

"Have you finished?" Draco asked, looking at Harry's sheet.

"Uh, yea, here." Harry handed over the sheet and continued flipping through the book while Draco copied the work into the essay.

There was a long stretch of silence before Draco finally spoke up. "This essay will need more work. What are you doing this week?"

Harry looked up and remembered the holiday celebrations he was going to. "I have to go to this thing; I won't be here next week."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What thing?"

"This out of school thing." Harry answered, his Harpy self was screeching at him for hiding the truth from his mate but he pushed it aside.

Draco frowned at the idea of not seeing his beautiful partner for a whole week before schooling his features back into passivity. "Alright then." Draco went back to writing.

Harry gave a sigh of relief in his mind and batted away the annoyed Harpy.

Draco was almost ready to quit for the evening when Harry found an interesting tidbit about the potion in a different book. "Draco, did you know that this potion can…"

He looked up at the animated tone of Harry's voice. "Repeat that please."

After listening to Harry's soft Alto voice, he made several notations in the body of the essay that they would need to go back and add information to different places. Eventually he rubbed his eyes with his hands and noticed the time when he lowered his arm.

"We really need to get back to our dorms. It is almost curfew."

Just as they were about to part ways, Draco asked the seemingly innocent question. "Why did you run out yesterday?"

Big green eyes stared into blue-grey ones. "I…hurt myself…" Harry eventually managed to say after Draco turned and headed down the stairs.

"Be more careful next time." Draco called. Then mumbled to himself, "I suppose growing wings would constitute being hurt."

Harry never heard the remark but his cheeks flushed pink as he made his way up to Gryffindor tower.

Now all he needed to do was survive the Harpy Holiday celebration. He started packing what he would need for the week, Clothes, the Harpy book, photos and few personal items.

Hermione came in to help him and after they were finished she turned to Harry. "Good luck and have fun." She smiled.

"Thanks, Mione." They hugged briefly before Ron came in, refreshed from his stay in the infirmary. "Hey mate, Mione told be about your holiday."

Harry smiled in thanks. "I'm going tomorrow with Aura." He put the suitcase beside his bed. "I'll be back this time next week."

"Good luck." Ron clasped his shoulder in a friendly manner

"Thanks."

-TBC-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos= another chapter   
> Lots of Love  
> amsuter13


	11. Chapter 11: Let the celebrations begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will never have this day again so make it count

Chapter 11: Let the celebrations begin

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

The bus gave a sharp jerk forward and Harry nearly fell off his seat. He was sitting beside Aura, who was calmly reading a book, as they rode the Knightbus which was headed for the Harpy's main club in Knockturn Alley.

It was still early in the morning; the last time Harry had checked it was 6:30. He was finding it hard to stay awake, although the bus was helping somewhat as it continually bumped along at top speed.

He had once again nodded off when Aura woke him by snapping her book closed and placing it in her carryall. He yawned and straightened up as he watched her fidget with her black leather gloves. Harry didn't understand why she needed gloves or the thick cloak she was wearing; it wasn't that cold even if the leaves had all turned and October was only a few days away. Harry, himself, only wore jeans and a form-fitting white shirt.

"Knockturn Alley!" Stan yelled as the bus came to a tire screeching halt.

Harry climbed down the stairs after Aura who was holding her shrunken luggage like a purse. He was grateful that she waited until he had gained solid ground before setting off at a fast walk down the dark street.

Many of the inhabitants of Knockturn Alley were making their way into the street, casting suspicious, yet lustful, looks at the beautiful Harpies who were ignoring them. As the two approached the Harpy club, guarded by the blank wall, Aura slowed and let Harry fall into step beside her.

"Now, Harry, I don't think I will have to stress just how important this celebration is. There will be a lot of Harpies attending, from all over the world, so expect a large crowd. Most of the Harpies attending will be around our ages. The older Harpies tend to skip the festival once they have found their mates and become established in the Hierchy." She fixed her gloves again.

Just as before, Harry turned his attention back to the wall and there stood the man. He watched as the man nodded to Aura and opened the door. They entered the same hall and Harry was hit with the not-so-old memory of his first visit to the club.

He was going to head back to the disco room when Aura grabbed him and pulled him into a side room. The room was draped in rich red drapes and the floor was covered in mats of black silk. Harry flinched as he heard the audible click of the door closing and locking. "Aura?" He whispered as he looked around.

"It's OK, Harry. I just need to explain a few things to you that I had not got around to yet." She finally pulled off her gloves and cloak to reveal a beautiful one shouldered, blood red dress.

Harry gaped at how stunning she looked. He knew Aura was beautiful, but she looked absolutely amazing dressed in evening apparel.

"Harry, come here." She ushered him over to one wall where Harry saw the doors to a walk-in wardrobe. "Now the opening of any Harpy celebration is important, not because of some tradition or anything sacred, but because of the 'Showing of the Colours'."

Harry gave her a dumb look. "What?" His face scrunched up slightly as he mouthed the words, 'Showing of the Colours' in a confused tone.

Aura gave an exasperated huff as she eyed her protégé warningly. "The way we are dressed!" Confusion still apparent. "Why?"

"OK! I will explain this in simple terms." She hissed angrily. "With our allure and beauty comes a touch of vanity. We want to let each other know that our Harpy gifts have attracted mates who can support us in beauty and luxury, hence the dress code. First impressions count for everything."

As Harry watched incredulously the blushing Harpy disappeared into the closet. He was still bemused as she emerged from deep with the cavernous room holding a black spider-silk suit cut in the layback-style, with a green silk vest over a white Egyptian cotton shirt.

Aura handed the suit to him and ushered him over to the changing screen. "So remember, 'clothes make the Harpy." She laughed as Harry changed.

He finally stepped from behind the screen, having left the top two buttons of his shirt undone and the tie dangling slightly to the side. With his bedroom hair and loosened tie, he looked like he had just come from a nice liaison.

Aura eyed him critically as he 'displayed' for her. Eventually she cooed, "Perfect!" Then she pulled him into the centre of the room. "Now we demonstrate the bows."

"Bows?" Harry asked, confused. Aura only nodded swiftly.

"Now there are certain bows you need to now. These bows are important to learn because they demonstrate respect to the elder Harpies. This is the bow you use for Harpies sixty years old and over."

Aura positioned her hands so that they lay flat palmed on each other, elbows sticking out, then bowed low, her head straight and eyes on the ground.

Harry shook his head. "Aura, why didn't you just say you were going to teach me etiquette? Bows? Really woman, have you been hanging around Kingsley Shackelbolt again? That would be something that big dolt would say."

Aura grinned and slapped him. Then just to get even, she made him repeat the bow until he got it correct. From there they moved on to the bow for the forty to sixty year old Harpies. She demonstrated a bow similar to the other, except her eyes remained on Harry.

"Oh, and then there is the bow for those between twenty and forty." She went into the same position and bowed with her eyes on Harry, although she didn't go as deep as before. "Now let me see you repeat al three to me."

Harry repeated the bows several times before Aura was satisfied.

"Um…Aura?" Harry shifted uncomfortably as Aura helped pinned on his blue, silk Harpy cloak.

"Yes?" Aura adjusted hers and made sure her hair was perfect.

"How do I know someone's age?"

"Oh… Right. Sorry about that." Aura stopped fiddling and turned back to him. "The clasp on your cloak, what color is it?"

Harry looked down at his clasp and saw a beautiful dark blue, almost black, jewel. "A dark blue."

"Now look at mine." Aura had a beautiful midnight blue, a shade or so lighter than Harry's.

"A kind of dark blue?"

"Exactly. Harpies under twenty have jewels like yours. Harpies between twenty and thirty have the same jewel color as mine. Those between forty and sixty have a light blue jewel and those over sixty and beyond eventually have a pure white jewel. So, all you have to do is look at their clasp and you'll know which bow to use."

Harry nodded as he mumbled, "OK." It did make sense. "Do I have to use a bow for Harpies my age and what about all the mates?"

"Harry, you don't need to bow to the Harpies in your age group, it would just look weird." Aura laughed. "As for the mates, since they are just about important as a vase to other Harpies you simply nod to them. Doesn't matter who he is or who is his mate, you only nod."

The door opened and Aura's face lit up. "Ah, Grace, so good to see you."

A woman of about 5'5 with a pale complexion, startling blue eyes and reddish-brown hair, stepped through the door and closed it softly behind her. She wore a beautiful grey-blue dress that shimmered under the artificial lighting. It was half hidden by the traditional blue-silk cloak fastened around her shoulders. Harry noted the gem was the same as Aura's.

"Aura, fancy seeing you here, I thought you were busy with wizards now days." Her voice was light and teasing and a hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

"And you, Grace! It is good to see that you have finally dragged yourself away from New York to spend some time in England. I told you it would do you wonders." Aura teased back.

They spoke in tradition Harpy tongue, which Harry was nervous about as he couldn't quite tell when he was speaking English or Harpy, or even Parceltongue.

Grace's eyes flickered to Harry who had been silent through the exchange.

Aura saw the direction of her attention and immediately assumed the role of chaperone for Harry. "Grace, may I introduce to you Harry Potter? Harry is Lily's son."

The other woman watched carefully as Harry gave her an awkward bow then smiled broadly.

Aura relaxed slightly at Grace's sign of approval and continued. "Harry, this lady is Grace Frisselle."

Harry smiled nervously and glanced quickly at Aura to see if there was anything else he needed to do.

She nodded her approval and returned her attention to Grace who was speaking again. "He's sweet." She smiled. "Now when are you two going to make an appearance? Everyone is asking after you and your new fledgling." Her eyes glanced back in Harry's direction.

"We were just on our way." Aura smiled. "By the way, nice dress, but didn't Elizabeth wear a similar one last year?"

"Hmm." Grace's eyes narrowed. "And didn't Alison wear a dress like that, but in blue last year?"

"Touché." Aura laughed following Grace back into the hall.

Harry's attention was diverted by the door leading out into the alley, which had just opened to admit two people. The first was a girl, maybe a few years older than Harry. She was about 5'9" with shoulder length auburn hair, which was done in bouncy curls, large blue eyes and a rather athletic build. She wore a short green dress with a revealing slit down the front.

Escorting her was a guy who looked totally out-of-place beside her. He was maybe six feet tall… to sum it up; tall, dark, and handsome. Black hair, brown eyes, and a five o'clock shadow emphasized the black Causa suit and lent him the air of a Mafia Don.

"Ah, Kyla." Aura winced.

"AURA! GRACE!" 'Kyla' moved so fast that Harry barely saw her. She glomped the two women, all the while ignoring the traditions of bowing.

"Kyla!" Grace cried, prying the girl off her. "Please, contain yourself."

Kyla shrugged off the comment without much care and hurriedly bowed before she caught sight of Harry who was trying to shrink into the shadows.

"Hi I'm Kyla!" Without a second thought, she glomped Harry too.

"Harry!" Harry wheezed.

The guy she had come with cleared his throat loudly. Kyla let go of Harry and grinned at him. The guy gave formal bows to Harry, Aura and Grace.

"Harry, these are Kyla and her mate, Damian." Aura introduced after straightening her dress and cloak.

Harry nodded to Damian politely and smiled timidly at Kyla.

"We really should be getting to the party." Grace interrupted.

"YAY! PARTY!" Kyla squealed. Harry looked horrified as she danced around.

Damian walked over to Harry. "She'll calm down once the sugar wears off." He muttered.

Harry only nodded, still throwing cautious looks at the hyperactive girl, and then moved to follow his sponsor.

Grace and Aura had already pulled back the curtain of beads and went through. Harry was expecting the muggle club he had seen first night, but was amazed when he entered. The room had been done in a formal manner. Everyone in attendance was wearing suits or formal gowns with their cloaks pulled away in the manner of a Scottish sash.

The room was much brighter than he had seen it before, a crystal chandelier hanging from the centre of the ceiling providing most of the lighting. He could see liveried house elves dressed in silk uniforms rushing around with drinks and finger foods.

Harry just stood there, dumbfounded and staring until he was rescued once again by Aura. "Come along, Harry. I need to introduce you to some of the Harpies." She was there beside him, tugging at his arm.

Harry felt comforted having her there for support.

Aura nodded to the other Harpys around them. "Excuse us Grace, Kyla."

Kyla, along with Damian, had already wondered off and Grace left with a small nod to the two.

"First we'll meet some of my good friends." She led him through the crowd to a small group. "Torina, Sera, Thrnbrooke."

A group of three Harpies stood in a loose semi-circle, holding glasses of wine and gossiping among themselves.

"Aura, you finally show your face? And without your mate? How could you?" One of the Harpys teased. She was tall with curly brown hair and startling hazel eyes which were emphasized by the low-cut black dress she was wearing under the traditional cloak that draped her shoulders.

"Well, I don't see Suichi anywhere." Aura teased back. "Oh right, he's a muggle."

The girl only shook her head, letting her curls sweep around her shoulders in beautiful waves.

"I would like to introduce you ladies to Harry, he's Lily's son. Harry these ladies are Torina," she pointed to the woman she was talking with, "Sera and Thrnbrooke."

Sera was a tall woman with pale skin, pixyish features, framed by metallic silver-black hair and silver-green eyes that seemed to size him up. She had not bothered to dress formally; wearing only a dark green Dulce and Garbonna summer dress that clung to her frame.

Thrnbrooke stood somewhere around 5'7, give-or-take an inch. Black hair, swept up into a spiral bun with a strand of white that fell over her left eye and gave her a mystical air, graced her beautiful face. Turquoise-blue eyes swept over him and he felt like he was pinned to a wall. She wore a floor length blue-purple dress.

He gave them the formal bow and a smile slipped across Thrnbrooke's lips. "Have you met anyone of your age?"

Harry nodded, thinking back to the hyperactive girl.

"I was about to take him to meet some." Aura swept him away with a gentle nudge. "I'll see you girls later.

"Oh, Aura, before you go." Sera called. Aura stopped and so did Harry. Sera was smiling with a mischievous air that made Harry slightly uneasy. "Damian and his fledging are here. You will want to meet them…"

Aura's face creased in a confused frown and Sera shrugged elegantly.

"You'll pick them out." She walked away and Thrnbrooke and Torina just smirked.

"What are they talking about?" Harry asked when Aura had hurried him on.

Aura still wore the same confused frown. "Nothing it's just…You know how I told you there are only three male Harpies and you are one of them?"

"Yes." Harry could remember clearly.

"Well Damian was one of the two male Harpies before you. Interesting man. His mate got disowned. Parents weren't happy with him being gay, never told them he was a Harpy's mate though. Anyway, when he got disowned Damian disappeared with his mate. And I mean vanished, broke all contact with us. Strange he'd bring his fledging here."

Harry blinked. He wasn't alone in being the only male here at this gathering; somehow that made him feel much better. "So who is the other male Harpy?"

"Oh." Aura waved the question away. "You'll meet him soon, but for now you should meet some others like you."

Harry looked at her as if she were as stupid as she just sounded. "Aura?"

She looked at him, "Ummm?"

"I am a male Harpy who just asked about another male Harpy and you just told me to forget about him and meet others like me."

Aura blinked slowly and stared at him as if he were the exotic product of an experiment gone awry. She didn't dignify his comment, but led him over to a group of girls, ten or so, and all around Harry's age.

They were gathered in a seating area toward the back of the room where several couches and low coffee tables had been placed Some guys, Harry took as mates, were sitting around as well, either talking among themselves or listening to the Harpies. A few empty, and several more opened, bottles of wine stood on the coffee tables while almost everyone held a glass.

Aura cleared her throat loudly and they all looked around. "Hello girls and boys."

They all stood by and bowed as custom. Some of them giggled, and one fell sideways making them all laugh.

Harry was amazed they were drinking at such an early hour. He found drinking in public to be highly distasteful and knew immediately that Draco would not approve of such over-indulgence as it would reflect badly on the Malfoy name.

"Aura, come to join us?" One giggled. She was about 5'5 with straight, shoulder length black hair, done in choppy layers with her fringe covering her left eye. Blue highlights streaked across her hair, matching the cloak that hung loosely around her shoulders. Black eyes stared at Harry in an intense gaze and she toppled slightly. She wore a form-fitting black sheath that looked perfect on her.

"Emma Schiff, have you been drinking again?" Aura's hands rested on her hips lightly.

Emma toppled sideways again. "No." She nodded then stopped, clutching her head.

The others laughed or sniggered at the drunken girl. "Not one to hold her liquor, huh?" Another called, making them all laugh again.

"Haru, hold your tongue!" Another called.

"Or at least keep it out of Hoshiko's throat!" Another sniggered. This sent them all giggling again.

"I'm now seriously considering not leaving Harry with you." Aura rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.

This caught their attention.

"Ohh a new-by!" One cackled, shoving her way forwards.

She was around 5'3 with dark grey, almost black, eyes, dark skin, and her hair in a loose braid decorated in red, purple and brown beads. She stumbled in her tall shoes, blue that matched her short blue dress with a white rose fastened to the skinny strap.

"Yes. This is Harry, he's Lily's son. This is Janay Bell." Aura gave him an encouraging shove forwards, and he was soon surrounded by the over-excited Harpies.

"Awww he's cute!" One cooed.

"Look at him!"

"I just love that suit!"

Harry was feeling more than frightened as they continued to coo over him.

"Hey come on girls, give him some room!" They soon stepped back and

Harry was met by his savior.

She was tall, but not too tall; with long black hair that sported green streaks. The green streaks emphasized her green eyes and detracted somewhat from the three piercings on her right ear and the five on her left.

"Oh come on, Olushola, we're only meeting the new guy!" One cooed. She was 5'6 with slightly pale skin and full lips. Her curly hair was a shoulder length black and with light green eyes.

"Adela, I expected better from you." Olushola narrowed her eyes at the girl who just rolled her eyes.

"Here I'll introduce you." Harry turned to the girl beside him. She had white-gold blonde hair that was pulled to the side in a ponytail, and blue-green eyes. She wore a short aqua dress and ridiculous high heels also. "I'm Elysia."

"Harry." Harry smiled.

"Uh here is Alexandra." Elysia showed him to a girl around him age, 5'8 with light brown hair tipped in red, blue eyes, and very pale skin. She wore a blood red dress that fell to her knees.

"And this is Amaya." Elysia pointed to a slender girl of 5'4 with dark skin, long wavy black hair with auburn highlights and brown eyes. She wore a dark green dress that swept across the floor.

"And this is Ivy." Elysia gestured to a 5'2 girl who was very pale with a flush of pink to her cheeks as though she were blushing. Her dark red-brown hair reached her waist and was pinned back with a white rose. She wore a virgin white dress that was tight at the top but flowed at the waist.

"Oh and over there is Caris and her mate, Duo." Sitting on the couch was a slender girl about 5'5. She had long black that flowed to about mid-back and dyed red tips. Her long nails were lacquered a deep red and contrasted nicely with her delicate tan. She had three piercing on her left and four on her right that emphasized the black halter top and a black leather skirt with chains.

"Wow she looks…friendly." Harry muttered.

Elysia laughed. "She's innocent really. Oh look Aurelia is here!"

Elysia pointed to the door, only just visible from where they stood. One word came to Harry's mind: petite. She was small with long wavy brown hair and wore a pale pink dress that reached her knees. Beside her and wearing a dark grey suit was…

"Oliver?" Harry asked speechless at seeing his ex-Quidditch coach.

"Harry?" Oliver called happily as they neared the group.

"Oliver, what are you doing here?" Harry asked as they shook hands.

"I'm here with Aurelia." Oliver smiled down at the small Harpy in an adoring manner. "Hey I never knew you were a Harpy." Oliver's eyes dragged themselves away from the girl who was greeting the others.

"Uh yea, I only found out a few weeks ago. I can't believe you're here."

"Oh, my winged Ancestors!" Ivy called. The group went silent as they looked over at where she was staring.

Standing there was a tall guy, probably somewhere close to 6'5. That wasn't what had startled her though; he was wearing the Harpy cloak over a black dress shirt and pants. He looked so familiar that Harry frowned as he tried to think of where he knew him from. He was a muscular, but not bulky, man with navy blue eyes that flashed under the light, shaggy blue-black hair that was died in a low ponytail, and a strong jaw.

"Isn't that Damian's kid?" Amaya asked in a stage whisper.

Ivy nodded.

"He looks a lot like his Father." Emma commented.

"What's going on?" Harry asked Elysia.

"Damian, one of the three male Harpies, that's his son, there were rumors, but I didn't think they were true." She muttered back.

"So he's another male Harpy?" Harry asked.

"Yea, I guess." Elysia shrugged as Aura and her friends, including Grace, made their way over to him.

There were a lot of eyes trained in the new man's direction as everyone began whispering about him. Harry didn't have enough information to even be confused about the situation so he didn't ask any further questions as Elysia dragged him away from the action to introduce him to Haru.

Haru had caramel skin, long dark brown hair, tied back in a lose braid over her shoulder, her fringe covered her right eye and she wore a tight dark yellow dress. She was with her mate, who, amazingly, was female.

Elysia explained that Hoshiko was a twin, her brother was supposed to be Haru's mate, but he died before he was born. Somehow, because of their close connection, Hoshiko became the mate.

Harry admired the beauty of the girl and decided that having her for a mate wouldn't have been such a hardship. She was a beautiful, slim Japanese girl. She didn't understand much of the Harpy language, and couldn't speak English either so it was hard to talk with her.

"Oh Roran is here." Elysia smiled and waved over a new arrival.

Roran was 5'6, with a small athletic build, her hair reached past her hips and was a soft white-gold with black and silver streaks through it and tied back in a lose braid. Her striking jade eyes were almost cat like; also her grace and beauty resembled such an animal. She went casual with black dress pants and a white blouse.

Roran smiled softly at Elysia and Harry, making her appear shy and timid.

"I can't believe your parents actually let you come!" Elysia squealed, hugging her tightly. Roran returned the gesture warmly. When Elysia noticed Roran looking at Harry inquiringly she added, "Oh, this is

Harry. Harry this is Roran."

"Hi." Harry smiled.

Roran only gave him a small wave.

"Where is Cameron? Is he even coming?" Roran nodded lightly. Elysia turned to Harry. "Uh Roran isn't a great talker around guys…so excuse the shyness."

Roran rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Come on Roran, Harry is a Harpy, like us!" Elysia whined, tugging on her friends arm.

Roran seemed to relax slightly.

"Hey, guess what!" Elysia's eyes brightened as she tugged Harry and Roran over. "Damian's son is here, and he's a Harpy too."

Roran looked to Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"He's over there." Harry pointed into the crowed were the male Harpy was still talking with the other Harpies.

"He looks like Damian." Roran murmured.

"Yep." Elysia's eye brightened. "I wonder if it is true that Damian is starting his own Harpy colony."

"Unlikely." Roran muttered.

Elysia just shrugged. Another two girls arrived and Elysia introduced her to Harry as Amber and her little cousin, Kaye.

Amber had lovely green eyes, straight black hair and an oval face. She wore a mint green dress that complimented her marble-like complexion. Kaye was younger with dark brown hair, twisted in a bun, dark brown eyes and an athletic build.

Elysia, Roran, and Harry had been standing around greeting people for several minutes before a house elf appeared beside them and offered refreshments. Harry, mindful of what would be said about him, chose a sparkling grape juice as the girls grabbed glasses of wine.

"Well to another year of Harpy-goodness." Elysia joked.

"To ridiculous 'Harpy scandals'." Roran smiled.

"To a new lifestyle." Harry contributed. They each took a gulp of their beverage, savoring the taste.

-TBC-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos=another chapter   
> Lots of Love  
> amsuter13


	12. Chapter 12: Come play with me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even if you are on the right track you will get run over if you just sit there

Chapter 12: Come play with me

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

Hours, which seemed like mere minutes to Harry, flew by and soon he found himself, Roran, and Elysia slumped against the wall near the couch. An open bottle of wine sat between Roran and Eysia which Harry hadn't touched. The girls clutched glasses in their hands while a third glass lay slightly under the couch where Harry had tried to hide it.

Elysia and Roran had introduced him to more Harpies; his head was spinning with all the new names and faces. How they could be so drunk and still know everyone was beyond him.

There had been Shay, a fifteen-year-old Russian Harpy with light blonde hair, slightly tanned skin, and huge blue-green eyes; Harry couldn't make up his mind quite which color they were. She was wearing a short billowy blue dress and smiled happily when she saw Elysia and Roran.

Dominique, another fifteen-year-old, was with Shay. Dominique had long dark brown hair worn in a French braid, dark brown eyes, and tanned skin. She was wearing a tightly fitted lycra dress in different shades of yellow.

Harry had rather liked Katalina, who had been less than impressed to see everyone lazing about in a half-drunk stupor. She was short, but had a curvy body. Her short, reddish-blonde hair was done in shoulder length curls and drew ones attention to her startling purple eyes. Her pale pink dress was cut to expose her knees and tapered to floor length at the back.

Then there was Amber.

She had only stopped long enough to yell at Shay and Dominique for drinking. She was nineteen, about 5'6, and a healthy figure that was set off by her copper hair reaching her lower back, and greenish-blue eyes outlined in kohl. Her dress was a pale gold sheath that reflected the light and gave the appearance of dancing flames as she walked.

Zoey came later, bringing with her more wine. She stood about 5'6 in her bare feet which few people noticed since she had long silver hair that sported blue and green streaks, and green-gold eyes. Her silver dress made her look a bit like a statue; a real work of art Harry had decided when he met her formally. She had come with her mate, Cory. He was about 5'8, with blond hair and blue eyes. The suit he wore gave him a more than passing resemblance to a Ken doll.

After they had staggered away, Katherine, another young Harpy, and her little sister, Celeste arrived. Both girls had blonde hair and brown eyes, but there the resemblance ended. While Katherine had already grown into her curvy, short frame and fair skin; Celeste, at only three, had lovely olive skin that was set off by her cute little pink doll dress which was a total contrast to Katherine's startling red dress.

Harry was about to yawn and nod off again when Elysia spoke. "Have you ever noticed that the first day is always so boring we just drink ourselves stupid for our own amusement?"

A long stretch of silence…"Yea…" Roran nodded. "Except Harry." She grinned, her eyes lighting up as she teased the male Harpy. "He doesn't like to drink."

Harry elevated his nose slightly. "My mate would never approve of me lying about getting drunk with a bunch of perfect strangers." He replied in a haughty tone.

Roran giggled. "Harry, dearest, I am not perfect. But, thanks for the compliment."

Elysia tried and failed twice to get herself on her feet after snarling that she did not need to spend time with a poxy little snot of a boy Harpy who thinks he's better than everyone else.

Harry didn't say anything as he watched her prove his point. Eventually she sank back down. "Wow, head rush!" She cried, clutching her head.

"Which is why El, you should be sitting." Harry grinned at her as she leaned back against the wall until her dizzy spell passed.

And just like that, the subject changed. "Oh look! Crystal is here!" Roran squealed happily while clapping her hands in her half-drunk state.

Crystal wore a little black Gucci dress with a thick pink ribbon tied around her waist. Her black hair with the blue highlights was pulled into a low ponytail, while her blue-green eyes had been outlined in a light black line with pale pink eye shadow.

"Crys, like you, Harry, and you, El, hasn't found her mate." Roran explained, waving her hand in the air. "She's already sixteen and a half and I've only turned sixteen and found Cameron."

"Well congratulations, Roran. I think you're officially drunk too now." Harry rolled his eyes at the girl.

Roran looked like she was going to argue the point but stopped and just took another sip of her wine. "You don't have to get all bitchy on me, Harry, just because I have a mate and you don't."

Harry fairly hissed as he stood up. "I do know who my mate is. And, after watching the way the Harpies act here, I am glad I did not invite him."

El looked at Harry wide-eyed. "What do you mean, Harry?"

He glared around the room at all the drunk Harpies who were acting stupid and ignoring their mates. "I was told that ones mate is incredibly important and all I see is a bunch of vain-assed bitches trying to upstage everyone else while their mates sit back and let them act like bimbos."

El stood up and looked around. "Harry?" She managed in a rather frightened tone.

His voice carried a little further than he had intended and several Harpies turned and stared at the small teen who was bristling like a cat and glaring menacingly. He was ready to pull his wand and hex the lot of them when there was a soft tap on his shoulder and a gentle voice at his ear.

"Harry?" Aura was standing behind him and El while Roran craned her neck to see Aura's face.

"Hi, Aura, and no I am not drunk." Harry greeted his mentor.

"Good. Although I'm not sure you can say the same for Roran." Aura frowned at the girl who seemed clueless in the conversation. "Anyway I'm here to ask a favor of you."

"What type of favor?" Harry asked, becoming suspicious of the older Harpy.

"A can you look after my Goddaughter favor?" Aura pulled the timid six-year-old out from behind her dress.

Adorable was the only word Harry could find to describe her. She had the whole Angel look: curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes that would shame a puppy, and a sweet little smile that lit up her face.

Aura smiled and winked at the little girl then gently tugged her into the official court position. Then speaking very formally she intoned, "Master Harry Potter, may I introduce to you my Goddaughter, Miss Alaizabel. Miss Alaizabel, may I introduce my protégé this year, Harry."

The little girl smiled and nodded shyly as Harry bent over and took her small hand in a gallant kiss.

"It would be my pleasure to escort you around for a few minutes, Miss Ally." Harry said with a charming smile.

Ally nodded enthusiastically this time and gave Aura a careful hug so that she wouldn't ruin her dress before deserting her to latch onto Harry's hand. "You will come back for me and Harry, won't you, Auntie Aura?" She asked before Aura could get away.

Aura rolled her eyes before bending down to her. "Yes, Ally. Harry is only going to take care of you for a few minutes. Turning her attention back to Harry she added, "Just make sure she stays out of trouble and absolutely no alcohol."

"No worries." Harry smiled. "I've been here for hours and still haven't wanted a drink. We will stay sober together, won't we, Ally?"

The cute little Harpy soon settled in and attached herself to Harry's pants leg. It was several minutes later that Elysia seemed to recognize her because when she caught sight of her she swiped her up and swung her around, stumbling a little.

"El!" Alaizabel squealed.

"Hey, Gorgeous, how are you?" Elysia grinned.

"I'm OK." Alaizabel smiled. "Aunty Aura let me come! I'm even allowed to stay for the week."

"YAY!" Elysia cheered drunkenly.

"El, maybe you should put her down before you drop her." Harry suggested in a light but firm tone.

"Right you are!" Elysia agreed, setting little Alaizabel down.

"Kaye's here!" Roran pointed at the door where another Harpy had appeared.

Kaye was beautifully dressed in a floor sweeping gold dress. Her dark brown hair had been pulled up into a ringlet bun. She had an athletic build and dark brown eyes that were outlined in thick kohl.

"She's only fifteen." Roran whispered loudly.

"She looks older." Harry commented.

Alaizabel caught sight of someone and smiled brightly, running over to give them a hug.

The girl was short and petite with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes and slightly tanned skin. She was wearing a leather skirt that fell to her ankles with slits up the sides and a dark halter top.

"That is Aleda." Elysia explained.

Beside Aleda was another girl. She was 5'4 with longish black hair that sported burnt gold highlights. Her exotic hazel eyes kept shifting to green when the lights flashed. Her tea length dark red dress emphasized her exotic appeal perfectly.

"She is Mitra." Elysia explained.

Alaizabel came back and sat beside Harry.

"How many more Harpies are there?" Harry asked.

"Loads." Roran sighed.

Aline and Katja arrived together. Aline wore a beautiful dark blue fairy-like dress, her blonde hair was decorated with beads of rare gems and her emerald eyes glittered playfully. Katja was 5'4 and wearing an A-line sheath of white bias cut silk. Her brown hair was tied back with an expensive jewel clip and her brown eyes were outlined in a light black line.

After them was Alison, she had a punk rock image with long raven black hair that was let loose around her shoulders, a slim figure and sharp purple eyes. She wore tight black jeans and a black mesh top over a red shirt. She hadn't brought her mate, Billy.

Aura eventually appeared again with Thrnbrooke and another Harpy he hadn't met before. She was of moderate height, with pale skin, hazel eyes, and red hair. She wore a green wrap dress. Aura introduced her as Halatia.

"Come along children." She called to the drunken girls. "The Queen is coming, we need to get ready."

Sleepily the Harpies left their mates sitting there and headed after

Aura, Thrnbrooke and Halatia.

Harry scooped Alaizabel up, as he didn't trust Elysia or Roran.

Alaizabel had developed a liking for Harry, who found her just adorable.

"What is Aura talking about?" Harry whispered to Roran.

"Well when the Queen comes it is tradition for the new Harpies to be introduced to her. All harpies who have come into their inheritance, or are going to over the next year, are introduced to her." Roran explained.

"Oh." Harry muttered. He tried not to grimace as he was shuffled around. Eventually they were arranged into a line before one of the staircases that had

a red carpet draped across the stairs. Harry gulped nervously.

Alaizabel was standing with Aura, watching the arrangement of the sixteen-year-old Harpies.

Harry looked down the line from his place between Elysia and Alexandra. A few people down he could see Damian's son, the very hot mystery male Harpy. He wondered absently what his name was and why everyone thought he was so gorgeous when Harry couldn't find anything really appealing about him; he wasn't blond, he didn't have beautiful eyes that flashed like a storm, and his skin was much too dark to be considered handsome.

He was drawn from his unsatisfactory musings by a voice resounding, "Let me present to you all Queen Silvia XIV, ruler of the present Harpies.

Sera finished speaking then stepped away from the staircase as the door at the top was opened and the Queen appeared.

Queen Silvia was dressed in a long, deep purple velvet dress with a hem that trailed a meter or so behind her as she made her way down the steps. Her long auburn hair was worn loose and hung past her waist. The only jewellery she wore was a tiara placed on her smooth porcelain brow. The design was of twisted vines with leaves. The tiara itself was cast from white gold and embedded in the leaves were the stones of Harpies: dark almost black, dark blue, a light blue and white.

As she drew closer, Harry could see her eyes were a deep violet and under her traditional cloak was a pair of silver wings. She looked roughly thirty, but Harry could see wisdom of an older age in her eyes, her jewel on the clasp was a pure white.

When she stopped a few steps above the foot of the stairs, everyone in the room bowed low. Harry quickly followed suit.

"Welcome, Harpies of a new generation." She smiled, holding out her arms. "As tradition demands, each of you must stand before me and be recognized."

Sera moved forward a pace and bowed again to the Queen. "We await your pleasure, Highness."

The Queen nodded and Sera began the introductions. "First is Amberly."

The first girl stepped forward and bowed before her monarch. When she rose, the Queen touched her cloak pin and spoke so softly only Amberly could hear.

"Welcome, Amberly. Blessed be you and your mate. Live long and prosper with the rest of our people."

The girl stepped back, a smile suffusing her already beautiful face, making her look almost ethereal. Harry hadn't met her yet. She had an oval shaped face, accented with green eyes and straight black hair. She was wearing a short, dark green dress.

Mitra was next, followed by Aline, then Crystal. Harry watched as each was greeted personally by the Queen. All too soon, it was time to introduce Damian's son. "Sinclair Talon, son of Damian."

Sera nodded.

Sinclair stepped up and bowed. Sinclair didn't actually seem that interested in meeting his queen, and the second he had been dismissed his eyes swept back to Harry.

Emma went after him, then Amaya. After her was Alexandra then finally Harry, followed by Elysia, Roran and Adela. Harry had felt a funny jolt when the Queen touched his pendant.

She had given a small pleased gasp of recognition at his name. Sera had introduced him as, "Harry Potter, son of Lily Marie Evans and her mate James Potter." She had even whispered to him, "It is so good to see such a beautiful child as yourself, and to know you are one of the family. I look forward to being invited to your mating ceremony sometime soon, yes?"

Harry noticed later that his pendant had been changed from the solid dark blue that proclaimed a new Harpy to one that had a pearlized pink rim around it proclaiming him a descendent of the Harpy Royal family.

When the last Harpy had been presented, Sera announced. "All of the Harpies of the new generation are present and have been presented to your Highness."

The Queen nodded and walked down the rest of the steps. "Well then, it is time for the traditional Harpy feast. Let us all make our way to the dining room."

All the harpies parted to let Silvia walk through then followed behind her. The Queen made her way to the high table and sat. She then clapped her hands and two long tables draped in the Harpy blue silk appeared. "Please everyone; take a seat with your mate."

The older Harpies occupied one table while the younger ones took the second one. Harry waited until most everyone else was seated then took the seat between Alaizbel and Elysia, across from Roran.

Food appeared, but no one went for the food. Soon the notes of someone tapping on a crystal goblet could be heard. As all heads turned to the sound, Silvia rose from her seat and smiled warmly. "Please, I invite you to eat." She sat back down and everyone took food onto their plates.

"This definitely reminds me of Hogwarts." Harry mused.

"The English Wizarding School?" Roran asked. "I find it easier to just concentrate on Harpy studying."

"I went to Hogwarts for five years before I found out I was a Harpy. Of course I didn't always know I was a wizard either." Harry shrugged.

"My head hurts." Elysia whined. "I don't want to eat. I want to lie down."

"You should at least eat something." Roran encouraged, taking a small bite of the roast. "Besides, if you get sent home your parents might never let you out by yourself again."

El was remarkably quiet after that comment.

The rest of dinner conversation after that consisted of everyone talking of their lives. Roran came from a family that believed that women should be seen and not heard so she had always been shy around guys. Except Harry, Cameron and Sinclar it seemed. Elysia was an only child, and had come to the celebration by herself because her parents were busy.

Halfway through dinner, Harry excused himself and headed for the bathroom. As he exited the lavatory, he saw Sinclair leaning against the railing that overlooked the ballroom. He stopped just outside the doorway and waited for him to speak.

After a long pause in which Harry could see the other Harpy gathering his thoughts even without using legitimins, he spoke, "Harry Potter?" Sinclair straightened and advanced on the smaller Harpy.

"Sinclair Talon?" Harry challenged back. The same feeling fluttered in his stomach looking at the bigger Harpy as it did when he faced the Slytherin team in Quidditch. This Harpy was a dangerous beast!

"Just Sin." Sin smirked.

Harry just cocked an eyebrow. "Sin? Is that a comment or a question?"

"Maybe both." Sin smirked. He glanced over his shoulder. "Old Harpies bore me. Wanna' do something fun?"

"Depends on what it is." Harry watched him warily. He had the nagging feeling of familiarity as he exchanged words with the older and sharper Harpy. He couldn't quite pull it together; it was like he had seen him before, had even spoken with him.

"Something…fun." There was a definite note of challenge in his words. Then, without waiting, Sin walked past Harry and into another room.

After a second of hesitation Harry followed.

The room he followed Sinclair into was a huge, dome shaped library. The walls were lined with books, thick volumes, all with the same Harpy writing on their leather spines.

"What is this place?" Harry asked.

"Don't know." Sin shrugged. "Guess it is the Harpy library." Sin ran his hand along the spines and stopped at the end, pulling out a book and flipping through the pages.

"What is it?" Harry asked walking over to him and letting the door close silently behind him.

"A book on the Harpy generation in my Father's year." He stopped on a page and smirked. "Damian Dante Von Hellfire." He showed Harry the picture.

Damian was generally what Harry had expected. His black hair reached his shoulders and was pulled into a low pony tail. Harry could see hints of blue through his hair. He was built like Sin but his eyes were silver.

"You look a lot like him." Harry commented.

"Oh he's changed since this photo, he was only sixteen then." He closed the book and set it back in its place before pulling out another. "Lily Evens."

"What?" Harry peered over his shoulder at the beautiful photo of his sixteen year old mother.

Her thick red hair had grown out a little and her eyes were the same shade as Harry's. Her skin was creamy and there seemed to be a glow to her. In the photo you could see the top of her dark green dress and she had chosen to display her wings, dark amber that flashed like fire.

"She's beautiful." Sin commented.

"Yea…" Harry muttered.

"What are you two doing?" Trnbrooke was standing in the doorway watching them.

She wasn't angry; instead she was smiling as Sin closed the book and placed it back on the shelf.

"Nothing much." Harry smiled.

"Then come back to the feast. Dessert is being served, and if you don't hurry it'll be all gone." She stood aside to let them pass than closed the door. "Beside you missed Grace's um….amusing joke."

"Oh, what a shame." Sin muttered, rolling his eyes.

Sin sat beside Roran and the two began a conversation regarding flying. Roran had mastered the basics but Sin was unable to yet as he hadn't found his mate.

When everyone had eaten their share of food they were excused to their rooms for the night. Those who had brought mates had small private rooms while the unattached Harpies piled in together in communal rooms.

Everyone from fourteen to seventeen was led to a room in the hallway that was decorated in dark purple where thick padded mats were laid out for everyone.

DMHP

After changing, Harry, Elysia, Roran, and Sin claimed the four mats in the furthest corner from the doors. He was so tired and miserable that Harry could feel himself drifting almost immediately. Darkness crept across his senses and he forgot where he was. He woke up in the dream world where his mother waited, sitting in a field of lilies.

"Hello Harry." Her voice carried around him and so it echoed into nothing.

"I thought I wouldn't see you again." Harry murmured, but still his voice was amplified so that she heard him perfectly.

"I told you, Harry, I'll

always be here." She stood and walked over to him, placing the warm palm of her hand against his cheek.

"Mum…were you ever…um…unsure of being a Harpy?" Harry looked into the

mirror image eyes that smiled at him with a calm quietness.

"Of course, Darling. I was a muggle then I found out I was a

wizard then got told I was a Harpy; it was like having two bombs dropped on me almost at once. But, I have never regretted either, and have never wished otherwise."

She stroked his hair lovingly and Harry felt warmth course through him. Harry was about to ask more, but suddenly as the world had come he was ripped back into reality as Hands shook him awake and a voice hissed in his ear.

"Harry, wake up." A hand slid over his mouth to muffle the yell of shock. "Come on."

-TBC-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos=another chapter   
> Lots of Love  
> amsuter13


	13. Chapter 13: Eat, sleep, and go to class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry no inspirational quote

Chapter 13: Eat, sleep, and go to class

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

Emma's hand left his mouth and she grinned happily down at him. Beside him in the darkness, Harry could see that Elysia, Sin, and Roran were being awakened.

Crystal appeared from somewhere in the darkness, grinning happily in anticipation of what was to come.

"Come on!" Emma whispered, eyes lighting up in the dimmed light.

Sin, Elysia, and Roran stood up so Harry hurried to rise as well. His head spun with the sudden movement and Sin grabbed him as he swayed.

"Are you sure you're not drunk?" Crystal giggled. Roran poked her in the arm, and Harry smiled in thanks to both Sin and her.

"Let us be away!" Emma whispered dramatically, leading them out. Mitra, Aline, Alexandra, Adela, and Amberly followed after them, looking sleepy.

"Where are we going?" Elysia voiced the unspoken question as they crept down the deserted hall.

"You will see in a minute!" Emma whispered back. Just then she saw movement down the hall where someone's shadow had moved briefly against the light of a door, and insisted that they all press themselves silently against the wall so as not to be seen.

They waited to make sure no one else was there before moving on. Harry sighed in relief as they finally reached the huge main hall that had one table lit with a dozen or so fat candles.

Amaya stood beside the table with a lumpy blue silk sheet over the surface. She smiled broadly when they reached her, and opened her arms wide. "My sister harpies," then seeing Sin and Harry, she giggled lightly and continued, "and my brother Harpies, let me be the first to welcome you to the traditional new Harpies midnight hangover feast."

Her voice was overly dramatic, and everyone snickered as they recognized her poking fun at the Queen. She grabbed the side of the sheet and pulled.

Revealed was a feast of fried foods (for the hangovers): ice cream, Assortments of chocolate goods, and sweets of both wizard and muggle variety.

"Fried foods!" Crystal squealed before grabbing some chips and stuffing them into her watering mouth. Seeing her hesitation to dig in, everyone else began clustering around the table and grabbing what they wanted.

Harry sighed in pleasure as he found his favorite; a pot of strawberry-rhubarb jam, real butter, and a huge thick slice of honey wheat bread. Beside him, he heard Sin chuckle as he mock hissed at Roran for reaching over his plate to get to the clotted cream for her kippers.

Because of the Harpy physiology they used a lot of energy. Besides their wings which were strong and could be used for flying great distances, they had a fast metabolism and could easily feast every day without putting on an ounce. A Harpy would stay as beautiful and perfect as the day they turned.

After the first frantic rush to imbibe calories, everyone relaxed around the table and began round two. Harry found a small tub of mint choc-chip and started to eat; even then he was more restrained than the girls.

Eventually delicate burps and satiated giggles could be heard from the feasting teenagers. To move the party along, Amaya began to speak. "My momma is the Harpy Akemi." She smiled at the name of her mother.

"My mum is Miranda. My dad is up in the ministry; works in the Asian Foreign Relations department." Emma added as she finished chewing a chicken wing and chased it with lemonade.

They continued to speak of their parents. Harry didn't say anything since he knew little of his parents. So far, no one had actually looked at his cloak pin and realized it was different from theirs.

When they got to Sin, the girls waited with undisguised curiosity. "My father, Damian, is a Harpy. He was the first male Harpy and the first to close connections with the Harpy society." Here, Sin stopped speaking and glared with a stony expression at the plate in front of him.

Harry felt something click in the back of his mind, but brushed it off. "He left for my dad, Gabriel."

Roran opened her mouth to say something, but the main doors opened and the click of a latch echoed. They all paled and turned to see who had disturbed their midnight gathering.

"Thyren…" Crystal muttered.

Thyren was 5'8 with black hair, pulled back in a low ponytail, and hazel eyes. His skin was pale, but not sickly looking. The expression he was wearing was none too welcoming. He reminded Harry of a predator; lithely built, rather short, but deadly looking regardless.

No one said anything before Amaya squeaked out, "Hello Mr. Brave."

Thyren ignored her and fixed his eyes on Sin and Harry who sat side-by-side at the table. Sin and Harry both regarded him calmly while everyone else stared at their hands in a guilty manner as if having a midnight feast was the worst crime imaginable.

"Just don't wake anyone else up." Thyren closed the doors with a satisfying 'snap'! Only then did everyone remember to breathe again.

"Oh my winged ancestors! Just like my mum says, he's one cold piece of stone!" Crystal murmured.

"Is he always like that?" Harry asked.

"When he doesn't get any sleep." Emma shrugged.

"He's only ever nice around his mate and some of the older Harpies." Mitra piped up.

Elysia just shook her head. "He's like a dragon."

Harry was struck by the flickering image of Draco and he felt the pressing weight of him not there.

"Havelin, his mate, is really nice." Adela explained. "I met him two years ago."

"Same! He's like the complete opposite to Thyren." Alexandra nodded.

Alina let out a long yawn and she rubbed her eyes. "I'm tired."

"Same." Mitra stood and everyone followed.

They left the practically empty table for the house elves to finish cleaning. As they were leaving, Harry looked around and started giggling at his whimsical thoughts.

Sin grinned at the girlish wizard beside him. "What's so amusing? I could use a good laugh."

Eyes alight with laughter, Harry responded. "I was only thinking that I am so pleased my mate is a very rich man and can afford to feed me properly."

He quickly cast a silencing charm when the whole party stopped, turned around, and burst out laughing at the gob-smacked expression on Sin's face. Obviously that wasn't what the 'jaded' Harpy had expected to hear.

For the second time that night Harry laid down in his sleeping bag and fell asleep almost instantly. The flickering memory of his far away mate playing across his mind and making him wish he had brought him along.

 

* * *

 

 

It was with a sigh of relief that Harry followed the other Harpies who had been presented the evening before into a room that had been set up as a classroom. He hadn't wanted to admit that he did not want to spend another day watching idiot girls drinking themselves mindless. Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass would have been better company he thought.

He soon found a comfortable spot where the sun poured through the window and played across his desk. He and the other sixteen-year-old Harpies sat behind oak desks while Arwen Rayne, an older Harpy, instructed them.

She was 5'4, with chestnut hair she wore in a French braid, and pale brown eyes with blue swirled in. She wore a simple black skirt and a boat-neck dark purple knit shirt. Everyone snickered when she stepped from behind the desk and they caught a look at her Walt Disney "Eeyore" socks and white leather Nike trainers.

The instructor seemed to be waiting for something before she began her lecture. Right on cue, behind him, Alina's head slipped off her hand and landed with a 'thud' on the desk.

"Uh SHIT!" She yelled, rubbing at her forehead. Beside her, Alexandra fell off her chair laughing.

"Alina." Arwen warned.

Harry had the fleeting impression that he had heard the woman's voice before at Hogwarts. She reminded him of Snape a bit.

"Sorry." Alina grumbled.

"Now today we will begin lessons in the Harpy history." Arwen definitely wasn't as dead boring as Binns. "We'll begin from the beginning; the first Harpy in history."

"Ohh! I know this one!" Elysia squealed excitedly. At Arwen's nod, she recited, "Jonni Belinda Mitchell, or Bee."

"Exactly!" Arwen nodded. "Bee was the first Harpy ever. Now does anyone know just how she became a Harpy?"

It was Mitra's turn to answer. "She was created by Merlin. He was attempting to make a perfect creature to take down King Arthur's enemies. He wanted something that was more beautiful and alluring than a Veela. So he found an orphan girl from a destroyed village. She was a witch, and he attempted some type of magical physical alteration… and, well, he made the first Harpy."

"But he didn't know." Amaya continued. "He didn't realize that she was only fifteen. When she reached sixteen though everything he had intended happened because she reached her magical majority and all his spells took over. Merlin didn't know though because he sent her away after he thought the experiment hadn't worked."

"We don't know all the details, but apparently Merlin genetically altered several other children without realizing that it was their age impeding his progress. There was soon a whole colony of Harpies and because they were magically stronger, they grew to a great nation." Amberly spoke up.

"This was after Merlin was betrayed of course." Elysia nodded.

"Then the wizards started to lust after the beautiful Harpies, lust that turned to destruction. They killed Harpy mates and Harpies died with them." Roran spoke softly, as though it were a painful memory she had lived through.

"But the Harpies found ways to dim that lust." Sin added.

"Well done." Arwen smiled. "There is one picture left of Bee that we have. Shall we take a walk around the Harpy complex here and identify some of our more famous ancestors?"

They all rose gracefully from their chairs and followed her out the door. A few feet down the hallway she stopped in front of a gold frame. "Sadly, this is a muggle painting."

Bee was no more than sixteen with dark brown hair and coffee brown eyes. Judging by the painting, she appeared to be quite tall. Somewhere in the range of 5'9, since the pub she was painted in front of was one Harry recognized as being the one in Nottingham that Muggles said had been there from the times when they embarked on the Crusades. She was also very curvy with a not-so-flat-chest. She had black wings that stretched like ink behind her. In the painting she was standing beside a prayer bench with a dark purple cushion. Her blood red velvet dress was trimmed in the same purple.

"We know little else about her." Arwen concluded. "Now, let's move on to some of the other Harpies. Anyone know who this is?"

"Janine." Adela offered.

"Oh I know her!" Mitra piped up. "She was the first Harpy to not find her mate by her seventeenth birthday."

"Yea, apparently her mate died a week or two before her sixteenth birthday." Adela added. "She died soon after that from…"

She was cut off by Arwen saying, "Yes, Janine was a sad story." She nodded to another painting; this one was moving.

Harry couldn't help but stare at the painting of Janine. She had been a beautiful Harpy, even by Harpy standards. The painting had been done partly to cheer her up when her family realized she was fading away. Janine had a light tan, dark hair and eyes that sparkled. Her amber wings trembled gently as she danced happily in a shower of rose petals wearing a white handkerchief dress that fluttered easily around her.

Harry felt a stab at his heart as he thought of the girl he would never know. He asked, "How did the artist know what Janine's wings looked like? I didn't gain my wings until I touched my mate."

This time Harry twitched uneasily as he was on the end of what he was sure was Snape glare 23. "Her living member of her family donated a feather and had the Harpy Queen cast a spell to combine them into a set once the painting was done."

All the young Harpies hung their heads in sorrow at the pain of their kinfolk. Arwen let them think for a few seconds then moved them along. "Who can name another famous Harpy for me?"

Roran raised her hand almost shyly.

"Yes, Roran?" Arwen turned to her.

"This is a picture of Ellette, she made the first official Harpy cloak."

"Yes Ellette." Arwen smiled. "She was definitely mischievous." She gestured to the painting beside Janine's. Ellette had been painted at the age of nineteen. She had been a tall woman, probably about 5'10. She had dark brown hair that hung mid-way down her back, and had sky blue eyes. Her athletic build could not be hidden by the floor length blue ball gown. Beside her was her husband.

Sin and Harry looked at the painting, looked at each other, and burst out snickering at the geeky looking man; black shaggy hair, brown eyes, maybe 6'11. He was wearing a white button down shirt with a black vest and black pants. The two were smiling and laughing together. Sin couldn't help wheezing out, "The only thing missing is a TI-96 calculator and a pocket protector with a set of colored pens.

The smack upside his head was eerily reminiscent of his potions professor to the point that he muttered, "Snape."

When she answered, "What?" He screamed and jumped away from her.

There was no mistaking who she was as she regained control of the hysterically laughing group of girls. "ENOUGH!" She hadn't even raised her voice, but the fear of Circe was in all of them. The eyebrow arched as she gazed calmly at each of them. "If you are quite ready." She pointed at the next painting.

"Alexi." Amaya offered suddenly.

"Alexi was the first to stand for Harpy rights in the mid 1940s. The Ministry had marked them as 'dark creatures' because of their uncontrollable beauty. Alexi stood for their rights but lost in 1951 after a six year fight." Mitra informed them.

"A few of you definitely know your Harpy Rights History." Arwen commented. "Well done Mitra."

Mitra beamed.

Alexi's had been painted at the entrance to a beautiful castle. She wore a blue dress with embroidery of silver. She had bronze wings that flashed in the sunlight. Her honey-brown hair was clipped back. Her green eyes were lit up and she looked carefree and happy.

"Rayne also played an important role in Harpy affairs, anyone know how?" Arwen quizzed.

"Rayne was the first to extend alliance to the vampires and werewolves." Sin spoke up. "Rumor was her mate was a vampire."

"But it has never been confirmed." Alexandra nodded.

Harry mumbled, "I know another vampire mate."

Arwen winked at him, and then continued with the lesson.

Rayne had short straw-like hair, perfect golden blonde and startling scarlet eyes that matched the dress she wore. She had scarlet wings that were like blood across the green landscape. Beside her was her mate Dorian. He had black hair that fell over his hazel eyes. He wore a black suit with a red vest.

"Ok, how about Kyoko Rain?" Arwen quizzed.

"She was the first to invent the tattoo, except she first made it into the Harpy tongue." Amberly said.

"Correct." Arwen nodded.

Kyoko was short with shoulder length spiky hair that had streaking of green. Her eyes were Asian and the clearest blue. She wore a beautiful

Egyptian cotton dress with the design of a mountain landscape embroidered on. Her wings were black with green streaked through the feathers.

"How come her wings have green?" Harry whispered to Elysia.

"Oh you can use a spell to change the color of your wings. It's difficult, and once you've changed the color you can't change it back to the original color so most Harpies won't do it.

"Bridy?" Arwen asked.

"Designed the first headquarters in Paris." Amberly offered.

"The headquarters was there for only two years before they made the final move to London to stay." Adela spoke up.

"And why did they move from Paris to London?" Arwen asked.

Sin spoke up. "Because the Veela Council is located in Paris and they kept annoying them with demands of various natures.

"Correct, Sin. Very good."

Bridy had black hair that was tied back with a green silk ribbon. She also had green streaking through her hair, and dark emerald green wings. Her eyes were a very light green and her skin was caramel. She wore a short blue dress and her feet were bare, the nails painted purple.

Roran couldn't restrain herself. "I didn't know Harpies could be color-blind." As she looked at the overall effect of Bridy. Then she grimaced at the effect of the man beside Bridy in the painting; her mate, Patrick. He had curly red hair and blue eyes. He wore a heart choker around his neck, dark blue leather pants, and a dark vest with silver stitch.

Amberly raised her hand.

"Yes, Amberly?" Arwen asked.

"My mum told me about one, Sera. She was the first to marry her mate officially under the wizard law."

"I heard about her! She caused this huge riot in the ministry because they didn't want 'dark creatures' to marry." Mitra nodded.

"Yes, a reason we vanished." Arwem sighed.

Sera was about nineteen, tall, thin with pale skin. She had black hair with a silver sheen, making it look almost metallic. Her eyes had almost the same effect only they were green and silver. She had a slight pixie look to her features and wore baggy black cargos with lots of silver chains. Her small feet were encased in heavy combat boots. Her shirt was tight with a snappy comment, while behind her stretched black wings.

Beside her was her mate, Kaden. His dirty-blonde hair was tipped in fiery red. The color only served to emphasize his eyes; the top was emerald green and the bottom was sapphire blue. He was dressed similar to Sera but with a hoodie pulled over.

"My grandma, Chrissi, passed the law that all mates need to learn to speak the Harpy tongue." Crystal spoke up.

"Which improved relationships greatly, and now they understand what we say when we are talking about them." Elysia winked.

Chrissi had the same eyes as Crystal, green-blue. She was pale and slender, but slightly muscular at the age of nineteen. Her blonde hair was curled, and her dress was a short sunset orange A-line reminiscent of the 1960s. Her black wings jutted out from her shoulder blades. Beside her was Devon, her devoted mate. He was lightly tanned, with longish brown hair, blue eyes and a slight build.

"Kyo." Sin offered.

"Ah Kyo, made quiet an impression. She was very hard headed and determined." Arwen laughed. "Kyo fought for the rights of werewolves."

Kyo, to Harry, look like the type of person Thyren was familiar with.

She was short, with pale skin, dark blue hair that was pulled back and seemingly black eyes. Her wings were also dark blue. She hadn't worn a dress, but black pants and a dark blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Beside her was her mate, Takenaga. He had red hair with jade eyes and wore a pressed suit.

"Oh here's Kate!" Mitra suddenly called. "She was accused of being a witch because she always wore black and charmed every man in the village. They tried to burn her but she escaped by flying!"

Kate was nineteen in the still painting. She was 5'9, with an hourglass figure. Her pale skin and black hair which she wore loose both glowed with a luster. Her black eyes flickered with a dark light. She wore a long black dress that had a V neck, a dress Harry was sure anyone woman would envy. Her black wings were smeared to look as though they blended with the mist. Beside her was Satorin, her mate. He was 6', tanned, lethal and masculine wearing all black.

"Anyone else?" Arwen's eyes swept the room while everyone thought.

"Iris." Roran offered. "Iris and Caitlin, they wrote the first Harpy Book."

"Very good."

In a painting, Iris and Caitlin who stood together without their mates.

Iris was sixteen in the picture and wore her signature Iris pin in her raven shoulder length, curly hair. She was about 5'6, had olive toned skin, and dark blue eyes. She wore a faded blue wrap dress and had her black wings out. Beside her was Caitlin.

Caitlin was twenty-two, and Iris was her fledging. She was slim, with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a simple dark grey dress. Her wings were tucked in.

"What about Elizabeth?" Emma asked.

"Elizabeth was a gymnast in USA, but she was also the youngest Harpy to join the Harpy Council." Mitra explained.

Elizabeth was a compact brunette with angelic features; pale, elegant yet muscular body, auburn hair and midnight blue eyes. She wore a dark grey skirt that reached her knees, black stockings and a white top. Her mate, David, was absent from the painting.

"Does anyone know about Gillian?" Arwen asked.

"Gillian made the parties at night and into the early mornings." Amaya grinned.

Gillian's painting was done when she was sixteen. She had long brown hair, stood about 5'1 without her spiked heels, and showed her black wings. She wore a gothic short skirt with spider-web stockings and a leather shirt.

"Amsel and Dea. They helped start the Harpy Council." Mitra offered.

"Yes, along with…" Arwen prompted.

"Alex and Draedyn." Adela answered.

The largest painting was of the four. Amsel had dark hair, oceanic eyes and pale skin. She wore casual clothing, a simple black skirt and a tight dark yellow shirt. Her wings were a grey-silver. Her mate Lucas was absent from the painting. She was painting at the age of seventeen.

Dea was also painted at seventeen. Her long black hair reached mid-back and shimmered with blue highlights. She was tall and slender, with dark grey eyes with a splash of silver and blue. She too wore casual clothing.

Alex was painted younger, at sixteen. Her hair was long, straight and jet black, reaching her waist. Coal black eyes were emphasized by a pale complexion, while her short red dress pulled your attention to the fact she was long and lean all over. Her wings were black with specks of red. Cable, her mate, wasn't there.

Draedyn, the last of the four, was also sixteen. She too, had jet black hair that reached the top of her hipbones. She had golden eyes with lilac pupils. Her wings were a very dark red with electric black tips. She wore a mid thigh sparkly dress.

"One of our more modern Harpies of History is the late Lily." Arwen's eyes moved to Harry. "She is the first Harpy born to our Queen's bloodline in several decades. Her Harpy ancestry was activated when she came into her Magical inheritance. She comes from a long line of Muggles and Squibs."

"Damian," this time her eyes shifted to Sin, "The first male Harpy and Haru, who has the first, and possibly last, female mate."

 

* * *

 

 

The week passed in a blur of banquets, traditions and lessons. The day before he and Aura would return home, Harry was wandering down the hall trying to find Elysia who was drunk again.

He walked past the Queen's suite and paused briefly at the door. Silvia was seated on a black leather couch, drinking tea from a beautiful bone china set. He hadn't meant to linger by the doorway, but Silvia noticed.

Smiling she placed the cup back onto the saucer that was resting on the fine oak table. "Harry, my dear, please, come in." She waved him over to the space beside her and he sat. "Finally! We haven't a proper chance to talk. How are you? I heard you were attending the same school as my niece, you're mother."

"Um…Hogwarts, uh you're Highness." Harry muttered awkwardly.

"Oh please, Harry." Silvia smiled. "We are family, you can call me

Aunt Silvia."

"Um…OK, um Aunt… Silvia. I was wondering, how are we related?" Harry asked.

Silvia poured him some tea into an extra cup. The pattern was of the Harpy wings. The tea was mint and the smell was strong.

"Well your great something grandmother, Jasmine was my sister, but she married a muggle, Philip Evans. They had two sons so the Harpy blood didn't carry on. So the Evans kept going but even as they had daughters no Harpy blood came through. That is until your mother became a witch, and then the magic in her blood stirred up the magical creature in her. Mind you there were always traces of the blood. Most of the Evans women were uncommonly beautiful and had everlasting soul mates."

Harry had an image of Uncle Vermon and cringed. Somehow that man being the soul mate of anyone, even Aunt Petunia, was abhorrent to his delicate sensibilities.

Sylvia laughed when he explained his 'bad' image. Because she really was a genuinely kind woman she changed the subject. "So how is school? Who are your friends?" Silvia prompted. Harry was reminded of a grandmother-like-figure and tried not to beam.

He told her all about school, every adventure he, Ron, and Hermione went on from first to fifth year, even of his Godfather's death. He went on to tell her about how he was top of the class in DADA, but bottom in Potions because the Potions Master hated him.

Sylvia's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Surely not!" At the surly look from him she snickered and asked the next question she was dying to know the answer to. "And your mate, have you found him?" Through all he had said, she had listened carefully, asked questions and made small remarks.

"Well, I know who he is. But, I haven't told him yet…" Harry trailed off, feeling embarrassed about the subject.

"Well, what's his name?" Silvia's eyes lit up like a school girl.

"Draco."

Harry didn't notice the calculating look in her eyes as she said,

"Dragon! That must mean he's fiery and protective." She winked and Harry flushed pale pink. "You're very much like your mother." She smiled, reached out to tuck a strand of his hair behind his ear.

"Really?" Harry was so used to being told he was like his father.

Silvia smiled at him in the way a mother would a son. "I miss her. She was bright and beautiful, just like you."

Aura knocked on the door softly and they both looked up. "Sorry to interrupt. Silvia, you're needed."

"Uh duty calls!" They rose from the couch and Silvia embraced Harry warmly. "You must write to me every week, more often if you can. I want to know everything that is happening with you."

They broke apart and Harry promised to write when he could.

"Good. Now Aura, if I'm needed so badly I should be going. Have fun

Harry and I want you to visit as soon as you can, alright?" Silvia asked.

"Alright." Harry agreed.

"Good." Silvia smiled. She left with Aura to the council room and Harry wandered off to once more look for Elysia.

 

* * *

 

 

It was dinner time so Harry sat at the table beside Sin while the younger Harpies ate.

"We'll be going tomorrow." Elysia sighed. "We won't see each other until the next holidays."

"If you sober up, we could always write." Harry suggested.

"Yea." Roran nodded. "Whenever we can."

Sin shrugged. "We'll see each other again. It's not that far off until the next celebrations."

"Yea, but, it's still ages." Elysia whined. "You're annoying, cold, but sin-like attitude has grown on me!"

"Thanks…I think?" Sin raised a thin eyebrow at the half drunk girl.

"I'll miss your drunken ways Elysia." Harry smiled. "Although it is very uh…not lady like. It is still amusing."

Elysia sniffed away a fake tear. "Thank you!"

"So we'll write?" Harry asked.

"Definitely! I'll so be gloating about my hot mate." Roran joked.

"That is if you don't expire from jealousy once you see who I have my pointy little claws sunk into." Harry grinned as he flexed his fingers in a suggestive manner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos=another chapter  
> Lots of Love  
> amsuter13


End file.
